


Here We Come to Save the Day!

by MsGordo_Writings



Series: Freaks R Us [2]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: BAMF Connor, BAMF Dawn Summers, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Kidnapping, References to Monty Python, Snark, Temporary Character Death, Threats of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:28:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22562524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsGordo_Writings/pseuds/MsGordo_Writings
Summary: A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families.  Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time, however, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted.  The solution?  Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.
Relationships: Angel (BtVS)/Cordelia Chase, Connor (AtS)/Dawn Summers, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Spike/Buffy Summers, Winifred "Fred" Burkle/Charles Gunn, Xander Harris/Anya Jenkins
Series: Freaks R Us [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623346
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These are the writings of [ MsGordo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kipplemine/profile), posted here with the author's express permission in order to preserve them from Yahoo Groups. If I have missed any tags or warnings, please feel free to let me know.
> 
> \-- In general, I have only been editing for formatting errors. In this story, I have corrected several usages of "Carlo" for "Carlos".

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time, however, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: SO many. My girls, Ina, Mel and Jen. THE best net buddies a girl could ask for. Alea, Morgan, Ianthe, Claudie, Kim, Rakel, darkened_dreams and everyone on the Unnatural list who voted for a sequel. Hope you enjoy.

  
  


Part 1.

**Sunnydale.**

  
  


Dawn Summers closed her front door behind her with a sigh and leaned back gratefully against the cool wood. Free! For another sixteen hours she was free. She dropped her school bag on the floor and pushed away from the door

“Spike? I’m home.”

She wandered through to the kitchen and helped herself to a swig of apple juice from the bottle in the fridge

“Spike? You want a snack? I can make you some hot chocolate and put the squishy goodness in.”

She pushed her long brown hair over her shoulder and bent to retrieve a packet of chocolate cookies from the ‘goody’ cupboard and strolled into the living room

“Hey, evil snoozy guy, what’s with the blanking of the study girl?”

She came to a halt in the middle of the floor and a half eaten cookie fell to the floor from suddenly numb fingers. The furniture lay upended and tossed around the room and the new blue curtains Buffy was so proud of lay in a shredded heap on the occasional table that was now minus it’s base

“SPIKE!!!”

Dawn spun around and sprinted for the stairs snatching an ornamental axe from the wall as she skidded into the hall. Four bounding strides took her up the staircase and then she burst into the room her sister and the vampire shared. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed in the neat room apart from the unmade bed but the sight that caused her to let out a frightened moan was Spike’s beloved leather duster lying on the floor. She turned and quickly checked the other bedrooms and then was forced to face the inevitable truth. Spike was missing. Presumed dead but definitely extremely angry from the state of the room downstairs. 

Dawn’s eyes narrowed and she moved quickly into her bedroom and in a minute had exchanged her school outfit of hot pink baby tee, tight blue jeans and strappy sandals for a form fitting long sleeved black shirt and black combat trousers and boots. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and then grabbed the weapons bag that stood ever ready beside her bed and slung it over her shoulder. She took a last glance around and then snatched her golden crucifix on a chain that had been present from Spike on her last birthday from her dresser and ran out of the room. The front door slammed behind her as she left the house and then she set out at a steady run for the Magic Box, her long legs moving effortlessly under her and face scowling fiercely. The Key was up and running and boy, was she pissed. 

  
  


**LA**

  
  


“Hey, I’m home.”

Connor Angel swung through the Hyperion doors and threw his school bag onto the floor, a la Dawn, as he jumped down the steps into the lobby. He froze as he took in the state of the business area of the hotel. Weaponry and paperwork lay everywhere and chairs and desks were littered like so much matchwood over the polished floor. Connor edged further in eyes and ears attuned to pick up the presence of anyone in the hotel. He bent and picked up his father’s favourite sword from the floor and sniffed the brownish stain on the blade cautiously. Blood, but not any one he knew thank the Powers. He made his way into his fathers office wiping the blade casually on his dark blue jeans and took in the devastation that had previously been the domain of an anal retentive vampire and a hygiene obsessed Seer, aka his parents. His eyes widened 

_ Oh man, Cordy is gonna be pissed _

Cordelia’s carefully labelled case files were strewn over the floor and were drenched in what looked like more blood. He gave a cursory glance around the room and then turned and made his way up the stairs to begin the long task of searching the hotel for intruders and/or his family.

  
  


**Sunnydale** .

  
  


“Buffy, something’s happened to Spike! The house is all………CRAP!”

Dawn stared around in disbelief at the, once again, wrecked Magic Box. She threw her bag on the floor in disgust and put both hands on her hips and glared around her

“This just isn’t funny. Anya? Willow? Anyone?”

Silence greeted her and she kicked an overturned display table in frustration before heading for the phone behind the counter. She punched out numbers one after the other and each time listened to a series of rings before the Scoobies voices kicked in on their voicemails. When she had tried every number she had for them she slammed the receiver down and willed herself to remain calm.

_ Ok, Dawn, THINK. Everyone you know has disappeared and it looks like they didn’t just decide to go on a road trip. Definite evidence of the forces of darkness and the house and shop have been trashed. No Big Bad at the moment, no ooky prophesies due to come true, so what’s happened? _

Her eyes drifted over the floor and she found herself looking at a thin dart with a red flight on the end. She walked across and picked it up and gave a sigh of relief as she recognised a tranq dart.

_ Ok, so not dead. Someone wanted them alive. _

She threw the dart on the floor and headed back to the phone and punched out another number.

  
  


**LA**

  
  


Connor jumped and gave a very unmanly squeal as the cell phone in his back pocket began to vibrate. He muttered a vicious curse as he dug it out of his pocket and put it to his ear

“Yeah? Oh hey honey, listen I can’t talk now…..”

He trailed off as Dawn spoke urgently on the other end of the phone and then scowled

“When?”

He nodded his head as he listened and then spoke

“I just got home and found everyone missing as well. Yeah, the place is totalled.”

He closed his eyes in relief as Dawn told him of the dart and then opened them to stare blankly at the wall

“So what do we do now?”

He listened for another few moments and then straightened decisively

“Ok, I’m coming down. Don’t do anything until I get there. What? I’ll drive of course.”

He took the phone away from his ear and glared at it as Dawn hooted with laughter

“What’s so funny? Yes, I know how to drive.”

He winced as giggles erupted from the phone once more

“The thing with the school principal’s car was an accident and totally his fault.”

He sighed as his girlfriend giggled once again and said testily

“Just stay put, I’ll be there soon.”

He pressed disconnect and headed to his room to change into some slaying clothes and grab some weapons furiously trying to remember which pedal was the gas and which was the brake on his Dad’s car.

  
  
  


**Somewhere dark and damp**

  
  


Spike groaned and opened his eyes and tried to bring a hand to his aching head. He frowned as not only did his hand fail to arrive but his nose was assaulted with the most appalling stench

“What the bloody hell…”

He stared blearily around him in the dark and, as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, made out the huddled shapes in the dark around him. He tipped his head back and squinted at his own wrists in manacles securely bolted to the wall above his head. He turned his head as the shape next to him murmured and stirred

“Buffy?”

The Slayer came to slowly and regretted it the moment she opened her eyes and consciousness hit with a vengeance. She groaned again and then turned her head as a voice to one side

“Buffy? Are you alright love?”

She tugged at her own chained wrists and shifted uncomfortably as she realised she was sitting in a cold puddle of water

“Peachy. What’s going on?”

Spike shrugged and realised his duster was missing, he growled and then spat

“Bugger all clue, love. Was sitting at home watching ‘Passions’, bunch a humans broke in, played ‘kick the Spike’ and then they shot me. Woke up here. Not liking here.”

Buffy winced as her head began to pound

“I hear you sweetie. Anyone else here?”

Spike peered around

“Yep, can’t see who though.”

Buffy tipped her head back and closed her eyes

“Great. Can this get any worse?”

“Buffy?”

The Slayer jumped and said incredulously

“Angel?”

Spike groaned and rolled his eyes

“Oh bollocking hell. You had to ask pet.”

  
  
  


End Part 1.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time, however, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: SO many. My girls, Ina, Mel and Jen. THE best net buddies a girl could ask for. Alea, Morgan, Ianthe, Claudie, Kim, Rakel, darkened_dreams and everyone on the Unnatural list who voted for a sequel. Hope you enjoy.

  
  


Part 2.

  
  


Dawn looked up as she heard the screech of metal against metal and walked outside the Magic Box to see Connor peering over the steering wheel of Gunn’s truck at the metal litterbin he’d just taken out. Dawn watched the newly liberated garbage throw itself enthusiastically over the street with the help of the chill wind that had sprung up and then switched her attention to her boyfriend as he jumped from the cab with a sheepish expression

“Is it a clod? Is it a total spaz? No, it’s my boyfriend. Ladies and gentlemen I give you…..The Destroyer.”

“Oh ha ha, very funny.”

Connor came to a halt before the smiling girl and scowled, then allowed the frown to melt away and give her the wide, loving smile he reserved just for her

“Hey.”

Dawn reached out and tucked a strand of his unruly hair behind his ears and then trailed her hand across his cheek

“Hey.”

Connor slipped an arm around her waist and brought her in close until they were pressed together tightly from knees to chest

“You done laughing at me now?”

Dawn nodded and ran her tongue around her suddenly dry lips

“Uh-huh.”

“Good.”

Connor bent his head and claimed the mouth he had been dreaming about ever since his return to LA from the wilderness camp he had first met Dawn at. He wrapped both arms around her and used one hand to cradle the back of her head as he deepened the angle of the kiss and gave himself willingly up to the flood of emotions the kiss released.

Dawn closed her eyes the minute his lips touched hers and, just for a moment, revelled in the luxury of someone else being strong. The last two hours had been hard on her and she had resorted in the end to tidying the shop in a bid to quiet the images in her head that showed her loved ones being repeatedly tortured and killed as they screamed for her to come and save them. She sank willingly into his embrace and wound her arms around his neck playing with tiny locks of his hair and caressing the soft skin on his neck as she sighed into his kiss.

Finally they pulled away from each other and Connor smiled into her eyes

“You ok?”

Dawn returned the smile

“Yeah. Better now I have you here. You ready to get to work?”

Connor nodded and reluctantly released her

“Ok. Where did you want to start?”

Dawn led him back into the shop to wait as she loaded up with weapons

“The only place we can.”

She winced and raised her shirt at the back to slip a dagger in a leather sheath in the back of her pants

“Unfortunately.”

  
  
  


Twenty minutes later found Dawn bug eyed with horror as she watched a brick wall race up to meet them and Connor apparently unaware of the danger

“Brake Connor! BRAKE!”

The dark haired boy jumped and stamped down on the pedal beneath his foot only for the truck to leap forward with a roar

“The OTHER brake!”

She screamed as he found the correct pedal and the truck fishtailed round to stop and inch away from the wall. There was a silence of a few seconds in the cab and then the flushed and furious Key held out her hand 

“Give. Me. The. Keys.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as he opened his mouth and she spat

“Don’t say anything, just give me the damn keys.”

Connor studied her for a moment and then wisely decided discretion was the better part of valour and handed over the little bunch of silver keys. Dawn folded her fingers around them and then shoved them deep in the pocket of Spike’s duster that she had retrieved from the house on the way. She flung open her door and threw herself out and then stuck her head back in to yell

“You are never, EVER, driving me anywhere EVER again. You LUNATIC!”

Connor blinked and went to open his own door and realised he had ended up so close to the wall it had maybe an inch between the door and the bricks. His last ounce of manly pride got left behind as he crawled over the seats and swung out of Dawn’s door

“Oh like you’re so great behind a wheel.  _ Spike,  _ taught you for gods sake.”

Dawn gasped in outrage

“Don’t you say a word against him, at least he doesn’t drive like Druscilla on acid.”

“ _ Who _ ?”

Dawn swept on as she pushed him out of the way and began to sort weapons

“How hard is it anyway? Press the gas for go and the brake for stop. Duh! And Gunn is so going to kick your ass when he sees his baby.”

She looked over her shoulder suspiciously

“Why are you driving Gunn’s truck anyway? Where’s the Angelmobile?”

Connor felt the red blush stain his cheeks and hoped against hope it was too dark for her to see

“I thought this would be more practical.”

_ Considering its not sitting by the side of the freeway in LA and minus two tyres and on fire _

Dawn’s eyes narrowed suspiciously

“Hmm.”

Connor cleared his throat and reached for his sword and a handheld crossbow

“So what is this place?”

Dawn hefted her favourite axe in one hand and Buffy’s Mr Pointy in the other and wrinkled her nose at the shabby looking doorway opposite

“Truly heinous and the best place for demon info in California. Welcome to Willies.”

She crossed the street with Spike’s duster flowing out behind her and disappeared into the doorway calling behind her

“Stay close and don’t touch anything.  _ Especially _ Willie.”

  
  


Willie looked up from spreading the dirt and grime more evenly on the bar with a grey cloth as the level in the bar dropped and his clientele fell silent

“Oh no, get out! You can’t come in here, you’re underage.”

Dawn nodded in agreement

“Yes I am.”

She walked calmly to the bar and hitched up onto a bar stool and grinned

“I need some information.”

Willie backed away shaking his head and looked panicked

“Get out, your sister finds out you were in here and I’m toast.”

Again Dawn nodded 

“Yep.”

She propped her elbows on the bar top and smiled at a group of three vampires as they walked towards her

“And it’s a school night too. Fellas, you might wanna just walk away. I’m really not in the mood tonight.”

She raised her eyebrows as they snarled and then sighed as they coiled to spring at her

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The three demons howled and threw themselves at her only to go sailing past as she ducked and then find a small human boy blocking their path back to the girl

“Who the hell are you?”

Connor grinned at the vamps tone and then exchanged a quick look with Dawn. She smiled at him 

“Go on. Just try not to wreck the bar too badly.”

She turned back to Willie and gave him another big smile

“Now about this information I need.”

He blinked at her casual tone and winced as the boy stood behind her and without any apparent effort threw one of the vampires against the wall and then hurled a stake with pinpoint accuracy to slam into the demon’s heart

“Wh…wh…who is that?”

Dawn cocked her head to one side

“What? Who’s who?”

Willie pointed a shaking hand at Connor as he jumped into the air flipping down behind vamp number two and neatly sliced his head off his shoulders

“Th…that.”

Dawn glanced over her shoulder as Connor rolled over the floor and came up in a crouch to dust the last vamp with a quick jab of his stake

“Oh him. That’s my boyfriend.”

Willie blinked in horror at the girl

“Your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?”

Dawn looked offended 

“Hey!”

Willie held up placating hands

“Hey no biggie, it’s just we all know how Spike and the Slayer are.”

He went pale as another thought occurred to him and backed up hard against the spirit shelves behind him

“Oh god they don’t know and you want to meet here and have all the illicit passions and stuff and then they’re gonna find out and they’re gonna kill me.”

The last few words trailed off in a pitiful wail and Dawn rolled her eyes as Connor came up and put his arm round her shoulder and dropped a casual kiss on her forehead

“Is he ok?”

Dawn sighed in irritation

“Yes, he’s just being a big git as Spike would say. Willie! Willie!”

She waited until his fear glazed eyes focused on her and then said 

“Buff and Spike know, calm down. It’s not like I can’t  _ not _ tell them. This is Connor, Angel’s son. Remember him?”

They both watched with interest as the little bartender went even paler and began to froth at the mouth, gibbering terrified nonsense. Connor put his head on one side and remarked

“Guess so.”

“Daddy? Daddy’s boy?”

Dawn froze and stared past Willie into the long mirror behind the bar, even though she knew it would do no good. Slowly she turned on the bar stool until she found herself staring into a pair of very familiar crazed black eyes.

“Druscilla.”

  
  


End Part 2. 

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, Ina and Jen for the laughs. All the ‘Brats for the encouragement and nice words and Vidya for trusting me to beta her first fic.

  
  


Part 3.

  
  


“Druscilla.”

Dawn jumped off her stool and in front of Connor as the black haired vampiress reached out one white hand towards the uncomprehending boy. Dawn struck out at the hand and growled a single vicious word

“ _ Mine _ !”

Druscilla snarled and just for an instant her demon face flickered across the human one and then she spoke in the singsong voice that always made Dawn’s hackles rise

“Little girl, little girl, all bad. I will be very cross if I cannot have him.”

Dawn planted her feet even more firmly and looked unimpressed

“No, you’ll be a big cloud of dust if you don’t back the hell off.”

Connor leaned in and whispered

“Who is she?”

Druscilla swayed closer and whispered

“Your big sister and I’ll wrap you up and keep you warm and feed you every day.”

Connor eyed her warily and gave an unsure smile

“Uh….thanks?”

“I’ve never had a baby brother. I had sisters but Daddy ate them all up, just like the big, bad wolf. Chomp, chomp!”

She clapped her hands together and closed her eyes as she continued to sway

“Their screams filled my head for days, all bright and tingly.”

Connor looked at Dawn in startled horror

“Who ate what?”

Dawn kept one eye on Dru and half turned so she could see him out of the other one

“Angelus killed her family and turned her. She’s his childe and Spike’s sire.”

She turned back to Druscilla and said in disgust

“Which would make her my grandmother as Spike’s claimed me as his kid.”

Druscilla’s eyes snapped open

“William has claimed you, little girl?”

Dawn nodded sharply 

“Yeah and, for the record, he prefers Spike. Jeez, anyone else would get to lock their batty relatives in an attic or in a care home but not me, oh no, mine run around coming on to teenage boys and biting people.”

She placed her hands on her hips and moved to block Druscilla as the crazed woman swayed towards Connor again

“And speaking of locking people up…..what the hell have you done with Spike and the others? Where are they?”

Druscilla began to keen at the forceful tone and clutched at her hair

“Little girls should be seen and not heard. Bad girl, I shall have to punish you. I’ll lock you in your room and give you only water and stale bread and you shall be nicer to your granny and give me kisses.”

Dawn raised an eyebrow 

“Don’t count on it.”

She glanced back at Connor as he shifted uneasily and eyed Druscilla with trepidation

“Is she souled?”

“Nope, nuttier than your average bag of peanuts, but not souled.”

Connor flexed his arm and a stake appeared in his hand 

“Then we should kill it and move on.”

Dawn winced as Druscilla began to wail again

“Whoa there, Lone Ranger, we need to find out where the others are first. Dru. DRU!”

The wailing cut off immediately and the vampire stared at them with a mixture of cunning and deep hurt

“Bad children.”

She raked sharp blood red nails through the air and hissed like a cat. Dawn scowled, hissed back and spat

“Oh cut the crap Dru, I never bought into the whole broken bird act you got going on. Where’s Spike and my sister?”

The vampires looked startled and smiled winningly at Connor as she said

“William and the Slayer gone and left the shiny little girl? Are you all alone children? Do you want to come and play with Miss Edith and me and learn to be bad doggies? Ruff!”

Dawn wrinkled her nose

“Eww, and also, NO! Dru, tell us where they are or I swear I’ll kick your skinny, British ass all the way to hell.”

Druscilla straightened up and for the first time looked at Dawn with no trace of her usual naïve expression

“You shouldn’t talk to me like that. I could get very angry.”

Connor stepped up and stood shoulder to shoulder with his girlfriend

“What a coincidence, so could we. Where have you taken my father?”

Druscilla frowned 

“Daddy? Have you lost Daddy? How very careless.”

The two teenagers exchanged looks and Dawn said carefully

“Dru, haven’t you seen them?”

The taller woman began to sway again and pluck nervously at her habitual long white dress

“I lost Daddy and I couldn’t find him again. He came back and then the nasty soul came and made him go away again.”

Dawn nodded soothingly 

“I know Dru, but have you seen Daddy recently. Like, oh I don’t know, chained up in a nasty basement somewhere?”

Druscilla shook her head and her eyes widened until they dominated her face

“Daddy’s gone, he came and he made the fire come and then he went away and he was lost. I tried to find him but he was gone.”

Dawn sighed 

“I know the feeling.”

  
  
  


**Somewhere dark and getting steadily damper** .

  
  


“Peaches, can you see anything?”

“No.”

“Doesn’t that strike you as a bit odd? Us being vampires and Creatures of the Night and all?”

“I’m thinking magic restraints, subduing any special powers.”

Pause.

“Crap.”

“And don’t call me Peaches.”

“Wanker.”

“ _ Or _ that.”

  
  
  


**Willie’s Bar.**

  
  


“Hey, where’d all the demons go?”

Connor stared around at the now empty bar

“We came in and there were demons and you talked to the little greasy guy…”

“ _ Hey _ !”

Dawn glanced briefly at the bar when the faint protest sounded and then back at Connor as he continued

“And then I dusted the demons and now there’s no-one here.”

He scowled 

“Where’d everybody go?”

Dawn and Druscilla looked at the empty bar and saw several overturned chairs and abandoned drinks. Dawn shrugged

“No idea.”

Dru smiled

“Maybe they know where our Daddy is and they’ve gone to fetch him and make him ours again.”

Connor shook his head and muttered

“Sure, I just bet that’s what they’re doing.”

He rapped sharply on the sticky bar top with his axe, ignoring the whimper from beneath it, and then wiped the blade with a disgusted expression on his face

“Hey, Billy, where did they go?”

“It’s Willie!”

Connor leaned over the bar and reached down with one strong arm and dragged the protesting bartender out from his hidey hole saying grimly

“It’ll be Man-with-no-head in a minute if you don’t answer my question.”

The little man flinched at the look in the boy’s eye and twisted free off the grip on the back of the shirt. Connor stood back and folded his arms across his chest, making sure he emphasized his well-developed biceps. Willie swallowed nervously and said

“They split as soon as you said who you were. Your old man and the Slayer used to come in here a lot back in the day and for a lot of the demons in this town you two hooking up will be like ‘Our Worst Nightmare: The Next Generation’.”

He swallowed again

“You aren’t gonna trash the place are you?”

Dawn raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly around her

“D’you think anyone will notice?”

She turned as she sensed Dru move behind her and reach out to Connor once more

“Hold it right there, Insanity Sam. You lay one undead finger on him and I’ll make you eat it, he’s mine.”

Dru stopped and stared intently into Dawn’s eyes

“I could snap you and suck the marrow from your bones, little girl. I’ll make you scream so prettily.”

Dawn pushed her face up into Dru’s and said scathingly

“And I could turn you into kitty litter, bring it on.” 

Connor stepped forward hurriedly and said

“She could help us.”

Dawn’s jaw dropped and she turned her face to him in disbelief

“Excuse me? She’s  _ evil _ . And Insane!”

Connor nodded and drew her resisting to his side keeping a wary eye on Druscilla

“I know but my father said once that he could sense when Spike was near. Because he’s his childe.”

Dawn frowned

“Well, technically Dru sired Spike but go on.”

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Druscilla began to sway on the spot again, smiling sweetly at the earnest Connor as he continued

“Exactly. If the connection’s that strong between Spike and Dad then surely they’ll be a more intense bond between him and Priscilla.”

Dru stopped swaying abruptly and snapped in annoyance

“Druscilla!”

Connor spared her a quick glance

“Whatever.”

Dawn grinned at the expression on the vampire’s face and said slowly

“You might have something there.”

She turned to face the other woman again

“What do you say to a truce? You help us find your Daddy and we don’t stake you on the spot.”

Druscilla smiled beatifically

“Daddy? I can see my Daddy again?”

Connor exchanged a glance with Dawn and shrugged 

“Yeah, but you have to come with us and help look. Daddy’s hiding.”

Druscilla giggled and hid her face behind her fingers 

“Peek-a-boo, I see you.”

“Yeah. Anyway….”

Dawn rolled her eyes and turned back to where she left Willie moments before only to find the little man missing. She looked to the door and scowled

“Who said you could leave? Get back here.”

Willie yelped and jumped as he made a panicked dash for the door and freedom. Connor grinned and sighted with his axe and then with a quick movement sent it flying to smash into the doorframe an inch away from the man’s nose. 

“We still have some questions that need answering”

Willie turned his white face towards them and trembled as all three walked towards him. Connor reached past him and pulled his axe from the wall and flung a friendly arm around the smaller man’s shaking shoulders

“Let’s talk.”

Willie stared into the smiling blue eyes above him and moaned.

  
  
  


End Part 3.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, Ina and Jen, as always. Alea, Fernando, Danel and everyone else who’s given me some laughs this week. Alea and Fernando get a special mention if only because I want you all to know who too blame if I suddenly drop dead from exhaustion and Danel for taking the same premise and doing a shamefully better job than I am. Danel, I bow before your dedication and prowess and thank my lucky stars I at least have the slight advantage of being a couple of chaps ahead of you!

  
  
  


Part 4.

  
  


Dawn glared at Willie as he finally stopped talking and then exchanged a grim glance with Connor. The boy stared back silently and gave an almost unnoticeable shrug

#  _ Beats Me _

Dawn switched her gaze back to Willie and said in a low, dangerous voice

“Let me get this straight. A demon, who you’ve never seen before and couldn’t describe, came in here earlier tonight and calmly announced he needed muscle for a raid on the Bronze and the Slayer was no longer a problem.”

Willie glanced up and met her eyes, gave a frightened whimper at their expression and nodded frantically

“Then he swept out and took half your customers with him, leaving the rest to throw a big party and basically plan fun times for all on the streets tonight.”

The little man whimpered again and began to tremble violently

“And you just carried on serving the drinks and didn’t think that it might be a good idea to find one of us?”

Willie looked up with an expression of outraged dignity on his face

“Hey, I protect my clients interests ok? What they tell me and what I hear in here is in the strictest confidence and I don’t go around blowing my….mouth……off.”

He quailed under the furious looks the two teenagers gave him and muttered quietly

“Well, I don’t.”

Dawn started as Druscilla popped up over Willie’s shoulder and licked a cold, wet trail up the terrified man’s neck

“I could make him sing like a birdie and cry for his mummy. Would you like that, little man? The colours are so bright in the sky and they make your fear look so pretty.”

“Druscilla stop that!”

The vampiress hissed at Dawn’s sharp command and raked her nails through the air and Willie gave a tremulous smile

“Thank you.”

Dawn gave him a disgusted look and said scathingly

“Don’t build your part up, rodent boy. I just don’t want her to catch anything.”

She turned to Connor

“I’m thinking our next step is to get to the Bronze. We need to find that demon.”

Connor nodded and pushed back his chair to stand up and heft his sword over his shoulder and gestured at Willie

“Ok, what do we do with him?”

Druscilla floated around the table and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, ignoring his wince of distaste to whisper

“I could snap his neck for you, little brother. Would you like it if I got you a floppy dolly? We could take him to meet Miss Edith and have a tea party and then we could play with the shiny, little girl.”

Connor frowned and took a couple of steps away

“Thanks, but I don’t think we’ve got time. Maybe we could just tie him up?”

Dawn nodded and grabbed Willie, pulling him to his feet

“I’ll put him out back. Dru, get a grip. I told you he was mine, back off!”

She gave the demon a final glare and dragged the protesting barkeep out to his stock room. Connor stared at Druscilla as she stood staring at him and was reminded uncomfortably of a snake he had seen in the animal park he and Fred had visited once. He was fairly sure that the capacity to only blink once every two minutes was not normal, no matter what your species.

Druscilla gave him a deceptively sweet smile

“I don’t like children that won’t share. I can play very nicely daddy says so. He says that I can make the pain so sharp that it rings like a bell in the air for days. Would you like to ring like a bell, little brother? Sharp and pure and clear in the night sky.”

Connor narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to one side and said slowly

“No, I don’t think I would.”

He eyed Dru up and down and then took a step closer to her to say in a low voice

“I think Dawn’s right. Angelus broke you but I don’t think you shattered. Cut the cryptic crap and there’s a chance I’ll leave you alive to see your ‘daddy’ again and if you try to touch me again tonight I’ll cut your hand off and feed it to the first demon I come across. Are we clear?”

Druscilla narrowed her own eyes in speculation 

“Daddy’s boy but not. I see Grandmother in you.”

Connor frowned and then realisation dawned

“You mean Darla?”

“Grandmother. She was as bright as the sun and as cold as the heart of a diamond.”

Connor nodded and said calmly

“She was my mother.”

Druscilla took a step back and for the first time looked worried. Connor gave a cold smile and brought his sword down to look along the blade consideringly, saying

“People say I’m a lot like her and I don’t think she liked you much.”

He waited a beat and looked her squarely in the eye adding coldly

“Finally something we have in common.”

Druscilla began to sway in distress and pulled at her long dark hair, whispering softly

“Grandmother loved me, I made her new and brought her back to the light of the darkness. She loved me and I was her Princess and we would play for hours in the moonlight as the people screamed……”

Dawn walked up and interrupted

“What is it with you and the screaming?”

She nodded to Connor and completely ignored the scowl that Dru threw her to continue briskly

“Ok, rodent boy’s secure. We need to head to the Bronze and try and find that demon and put a stop to whatever he’s got going on there.”

She gave Connor a bright smile and accepted her axe as he handed it to her and turned to lead the way out and then turned and said firmly

“This time I’m driving.”

Connor rolled his eyes and gestured to Druscilla to precede him muttering under his breath

“Let it go, honey, let it go.”

  
  


**Five Minutes Later.**

  
  


Connor whooped as he leant out of the rear passenger window and swung his sword to neatly decapitate a vampire that had two elderly ladies trapped up against a grocery store window. He grinned and threw a quick salute at the two horrified women as Dawn swung Gunn’s truck around the next corner

“Hurry home ladies.”

“Connor, INCOMING!”

The boy cursed as the truck swerved sharply and he had to grab the door handle swiftly to prevent a nasty accident involving his head and the unforgiving asphalt

“And my driving sucks?”

He grinned again as Dawn yelled from behind the wheel

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to!”

He risked a quick glance over his shoulder at Druscilla hanging out of the front passenger window and suppressed a quick shiver as she growled and tore the throat out of a vampire as the truck sped past. Damn, that sound was creepy coming from the delicate looking girl. He swivelled his eyes back to the road as Dawn yelled

“Connor!”

He grinned once more as he saw three vampires running towards him in single file and pulled back his sword to swing and allow the blade to be pulled through their necks by the momentum of the truck. He laughed as the one in the back managed to turn and stare after him in amazement before imploding all over the street

“This is almost too easy. Can’t we find something a bit more challenging?”

Dawn rolled her eyes at his happy shout and aimed the car at a group of Faryls that were blocking the street

“Hang on!”

She gunned the engine and made straight for them wincing as four solid thuds echoed into the night. She heard Druscilla laugh with delight as one of the demons went under the wheels and then she was staring in horrified amazement at the Faryl that had become impaled on the giant wooden stake attached to the hood

“Kill girl.”

Dawn scrunched up her nose as the demon began to pull itself along the thick wooden spike, it’s eyes fixed on her 

“I don’t think so. Connor!”

Connor glanced over at Dawn’s shout and saw the demon on the hood of the truck

“I’ll be right there, sweetie. Just let me……take care of this!”

He rabbit punched the blue skinned demon that had come flying out of nowhere and had a grip on his neck, gnashing it’s blood stained teeth inches away from his face.

“Never mind!”

Dawn watched as Druscilla swung herself out of the window and managed to land on her feet on the hood of the truck. She took two sure steps forward and bent to grab the demon’s head firmly in her hands

“Bad dog!”

With a quick twist, and an anguished scream, she snapped the demon’s neck and tore his body from the giant stake to toss it aside like so much garbage. She turned to come back inside the vehicle and met Dawn’s eyes for a split second, the younger girl nodded

“Thanks.”

The demon’s eyes flashed gold in the streetlights as she called 

“My pleasure, dearie.”

Dawn jumped as she snarled suddenly and then leapt onto the roof of the truck an instant before a large, furry hand came clawing through the ceiling inches from her head. She yelled in surprise and flinched down in her seat, unintentionally pulling the wheel sharply to the left. The claw abruptly disappeared as Dru attacked it’s owner and then Dawn’s eyes widened in horror as for the second time that night a brick wall rushed up to meet her

“OH SHIT!”

The last thing she heard before she crashed was Connor’s yell of alarm and then everything went black.

  
  
  


End Part 4.

  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, Ina and Jen for the patience and feedback. Everyone on the Unnatural list but especially Rakel for being so amused at my navy story, sadly every word of it’s true! On the upside I missed the session a couple of months later where they all got a nude Jessica Rabbit on the other cheek. Shmucks!

  
  
  


Part 5.

  
  
  


“Oh god, Spike is gonna kill me.”

Dawn groaned as the anguished voice registered and fought to open her heavy eyelids

“Are you dead? You’re not dead are you? Or paralysed? He‘ll kill me if you’re broken.”

Dawn groaned again and managed to force her eyes open and then gave a yelp of shock when a large, wrinkly face peered back at her worriedly. The face split into a relieved grin 

“Dawn? Are you ok? Please say you’re ok. Spike’s gonna kill me.”

Dawn blinked and refocused 

“Clem?”

The demon nodded enthusiastically causing his ears to flap like two fleshy curtains in the breeze

“Uh-huh. How do you feel? Is everything working? Can you move?”

Dawn raised her head slightly and gave another moan and then allowed Clem to help her unsteadily to her feet. She took several panting breaths as the world span around her and her stomach threatened to hurl it’s day’s consumption over the sidewalk and then slowly her body adjusted to it’s new upright position

“What happened?”

Clem eyed her worriedly as she swayed against him and said slowly 

“You crashed remember?”

She blinked and then jumped as Connor raced past with three screaming vampires after him

“What’s going on?”

She blinked again and focused on Druscilla snarling and spitting as she fought another four vampires in the middle of the street, regardless of cars speeding past them. Clem tightened his hold on her as she pushed away from him and scrabbled at the inside of Spike’s duster for a weapon

“Hey, do you think you should be doing that?”

Dawn finally got a grip on a stake and drew it out to clutch it between shaking fingers

“Clem, what the hell is going on?”

Clem sighed as he recognised the tone of her voice. The same tone of voice she used when she was positively not going to sit through another viewing of ‘Old Yeller’ with him and was going to put on ‘Blair Witch’ instead.

“Do you want the long or the…..”

“CLEM!”

The much bigger demon flinched and mumbled

“Ok, ok. The bad guys know your guys are MIA and are going to town in a BIG way. You crashed the truck you were driving and got a knock on the head. A vamp recognised you and attacked and your boyfriend and the hottie attacked him. I was coming home from a munchie run and saw the battling hordes and then you, got past the fighting and woke you up. Cheese puff?”

Dawn screwed up her face as a giant bag of Clem’s favourite snack got waved under her nose

“No. Wait, how do you know Spike’s missing?”

Clem eased back against the wall when he realised the girl’s colour was gradually coming back and popped a couple of the orange snacks into his mouth. He chewed enthusiastically for a moment and then hurriedly swallowed as Dawn’s expression darkened

“Jeez, you’re just like your sister.”

Dawn glared harder

“Ok, ok! The demons are everywhere. They’ve set fire to city hall and the hospital’s under attack. It’s all anyone’s talking about. Oh, and your boy yelled it to me when we introduced ourselves.”

Dawn pressed a hand to her aching head

“You introduced yourselves?”

“Well, yeah, I don’t think he’d let just any old demon take care of you, do you?”

His expression fell as he looked over her shoulder and he flattened himself against the wall

“Oh god.”

Dawn turned and glared at the two vampires that had appeared behind her

“What?”

They looked momentarily startled at her pissy tone and then grinned evilly

“Slayer’s sister.”

“Yeah, what of it?”

The taller of the two vamps flashed his fangs and said with satisfaction

“We’re gonna kill you.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and instantly regretted it as her head threatened to fall off. She swayed briefly and then raised the hand holding her stake and said irritably

“No, you’re going to try. Now can we please speed this up? I’ve got this really bad headache and I’m feeling kinda sick….”

She flinched as they roared and sprang towards her, cursing the pounding in her skull and slammed her stake firmly into the chest of the lead vamp

“Hello, headache? Can we keep the noise to a minimum please?”

She grunted as the other vampire crashed into her and she slammed back into the wall beside Clem. She turned her face to the side as the vamp stuck out his tongue and licked the side of her face and then brought her knee sharply up between his legs. As the demon screamed and clutched himself she pushed him away and brought her stake down again

“Will you shut up? God, my head’s killing me.”

She took a couple of breaths and then pushed away from the wall as Clem stuttered

“How did you do that?”

Dawn wiped a hand over her face with a disgusted frown and muttered

“Eew, vamp spit. What? Oh, I live with Spike and Buffy remember? You don’t learn what to do with a stake in my house and you’re pretty much demon bait.”

Clem shook his head and tried again

“No. I meant the whole nearly-dying-one-minute to Xena-on-acid the next, actually.”

Dawn grinned

“Reflex mostly and I’m a Summers girl. We heal pretty fast.”

Her grin faded as she thought of her Mom and she added softly

“Mostly.”

Clem opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the arrival of Connor. The dark haired boy took his love in his arms and hugged her thankfully, closing his eyes in relief to see her upright and conscious

“Are you alright?”

Dawn held herself rigid for a moment and then leaned into his warm, hard body as she felt it tremble against her

“I’m fine.

Connor squeezed his eyes more tightly shut and took a long slow breath

“I thought I’d lost you. There was so much blood.”

Dawn pulled back slightly and raised a hand to her face

“Really? Oh gross, that’s why that vamp licked me? Ugh!”

Connor leaned back a little and looked into her disgusted face 

“What vampire?”

His eyes narrowed and swivelled to lock onto Clem, his lips drew back from his teeth in a feral snarl as he growled

“You were meant to protect her!”

Clem looked horrified at the boy’s expression and waved his hands before him in the air

“Hey, calm down! I was gonna but it all happened so fast and, truth be told, I’m more of a lover than a fighter.”

Dawn very determinedly put the image of Clem being a lover of anything but Cheese Puffs out of her mind and pinched Connor’s waist to get his attention

“Excuse me? Pyscho-Boy? Can take care of myself remember, or have we totally forgotten the fun times the night we met?”

Connor dragged his eyes away from the terrified looking demon and stared into Dawn’s outraged blue eyes

“No, I haven’t forgotten how we met, but I think even the Slayer might have problems defending herself when she’d been knocked unconscious.”

Dawn raised herself onto her toes and nipped his bottom lip between her teeth. She grinned as he gave a startled hiss of pleasure and whispered

“You think? You have no idea what Buffy’s capable of when she’s unconscious.”

Her hand drifted down from his waist and gave him a firm pinch on the ass and grinned as he yelped, jumping into the air

“I’m a lot like my sister.”

Connor looked at her as he felt his face suffuse with colour and shook himself mentally

_ <Say something clever, say something clever!> _

“Cordelia drools in her sleep.”

_ <Or just open your mouth and say the first moronic thing you can think of. Idiot _ .>

Dawn nodded slowly and gave an uncertain smile

“Oh. Does she?”

She stepped away from him and looked around as Druscilla walked up to join them, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth

“Please tell me you didn’t eat anybody.”

The other woman blinked and then giggled softly

“I made them weep and then I sucked them dry and picked my teeth with the bones.”

“Uh-huh, but the sucking was all of the demons right? No human suckage allowed.”

A small silence followed Dawn’s remark and then she shook her head slightly

“Can we all just pretend I didn’t say that please?”

Druscilla suddenly clutched at her head and began to wail sharply

“Something wicked this way comes, something wicked and dark.”

Dawn and Connor exchanged glances and then Dawn said impatiently

“Dru, that would be you, hun. Wicked pretty much sums you up.”

She flinched as the vampire’s cries got louder and then jumped as an incredulous voice said loudly

“Dawn is that you?”

She peered around Connor and then let her eyes travel up over a broad chest to rest on the good-looking, honest face of her sister’s ex-honey

< _ This night just gets weirder and weirder _ >

She gave a small smile

“Hey Riley. How’s it goin’?”

Riley Finn let his disbelieving gaze sweep over the bloodstained young girl, the wailing vampire, the sulky looking teenage boy next to Dawn and finally the saggy skinned demon clutching the family size pack of Cheese Puffs leaning against the wall. He glared hard at the young woman he had thought of as his own sister and said grimly

“Dawn, what the hell is going on?”

He took another look at her and snapped in annoyance

“And why are you wearing Spike’s coat? Where is everyone?”

Dawn sighed and leaned gratefully against Connor as he slipped a supporting arm around her waist

“Good question. You wanna grab a soda? This could take a while.”

  
  


End Part 5.

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven.

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, an extra special one ‘cos she’s had a hard week. Jen and Ina, as always, and the ‘Brats, thanks for the support and f/b. You guys rule. 

  
  
  


Part 6.

  
  


Riley stared at Dawn as she finished speaking and then looked over her shoulder to where Connor and Druscilla were battling yet another group of snarling demons on the sidewalk. He put his hands on his hips and said firmly

“Ok, that’s enough. If Buffy knew you were out here she’d lose the plot. I’m taking you and your little friend in and I’ll mobilise the guys and get them looking for your sister and the others.”

He took Dawn’s arm and began to march towards the shattered front window of the looted shop they had taken temporary shelter in. Dawn scowled and with a quick twist of her arm was free and skipping a good distance away

“I don’t think so Riley. I’m glad you’re here and that the town’s got some back up but my sister and the gang are my responsibility and I’m going looking for them myself.”

Riley stepped towards her and then froze in astonishment as she pulled her stake out of her pocket and held it ready in a classic defensive position

“Don’t make me hurt you, Ry.”

His mouth fell open at the cool, calm way she spoke and the level gaze of her bright blue eyes

“Dawn, put that down right now.”

“No.”

She circled him slowly and edged toward the wide window saying carefully

“I won’t kill you but I will hurt you. Make a move to stop me and you’ll be sorry.”

Riley took a couple of steps towards her and said reasonably

“You’re hurt and Buffy would want to know you were safe somewhere and away from the fighting. You’re in no condition to take on demons and hunt for the others, if you won’t get to safety for me, do it for Buffy.”

Dawn stopped by the window and risked a quick glance over her shoulder to pinpoint Connor’s position and then said

“A lot’s changed around here Riley. I know that wherever Buff and the others are they’re gonna be worried about me, but if I go with you and hide while I let the demons rip my town apart then I’ll be letting my family, and myself, down. I’m going now.”

Riley shook his head and muttered

“I really don’t want to do this.”

He straightened and said firmly

“Dawn Summers, I am formally putting you under arrest by order of the United States Government. Drop your weapon and place your hands on your head…”

“You’re trying to ARREST me?”

Dawn laughed out loud and eyed the soldier up and down with amusement

“Riley, obviously you’ve been away too long. Let me break it down for you. I’m the Slayer’s sister; she runs this town, NOT the government. She’s missing, so are her team that leaves me and MY team and I don’t do orders any better than Buff. If you pull that crap on me again tonight I’ll kick your rigid ass out of town myself. You  **_and_ ** your little team of GI Joes, are we clear?”

Riley scowled and said ominously

“Dawn, you have no idea what you’re saying. You’re a kid and you will do as I say.”

Dawn raised one eyebrow in a look that was pure Spike and sneered

“I don’t think so. I’m incredibly good at NOT doing what I’m told and, not to be mean, but if I won’t let Buffy and Spike run my life there’s no way you get to do it. Back off and don’t make me hurt you.”

She turned slightly as she sensed a movement at her back and then frowned as Druscilla stepped over the window frame and crunched down on the shattered glass

“Little brother says we must move. Is the wicked man hurting you? Would you like Grandmum to hurt him, little girl? I could make him sing like the pretty crystals and make him your pony. Do you want a pony to ride?”

Dawn gave a small smile

“That’s sweet Dru, but no thanks. Are we demon free at the moment?”

“They’ve run away. I wanted to play catch with them and have them for tea.”

Dawn smirked 

“Yes or no would have been fine, Dru.”

Riley took another step towards Dawn and then stopped as Druscilla hissed and moved in front of the young girl

“My girl, go away bad dog or I will punish you with cookies and spoons.”

Dawn grabbed Dru’s arm and yanked her back saying wryly

“Way to make no sense, Grandma. Riley, just let us go.”

He pointed at Druscilla and spat angrily

“What, let you go running off into the night with that? Dawn, she’s evil; she’ll turn on you in a second. You have to see this isn’t what Buffy would want for you.”

Dawn redoubled her vice-like grip on Dru’s arm and nodded 

“I know. Buffy never wanted this for me but this is what I have. I don’t trust Druscilla, at all, but I don’t think she’ll hurt me, at least not tonight.”

She took a deep breath; aware her next words were going to sting

“It’s a family thing.”

Riley looked confused

“What? Your sister works with vamps, so you do too?”

Dawn kept her eyes on his and ignored the bitter tone of his voice

“No, not exactly. I’m kinda related to her. Dru’s Spike’s sire and he’s kinda my Dad now.”

Riley’s mouth fell open and he seemed to be struggling for breath. Dawn shrugged and figured while he was speechless she may as well hit him with the rest of it

“And my ‘little friend’ outside is called Connor. He’s Angel’s son.”

Clem wandered up outside the shop and smiled merrily

“Guys, Connor thinks he’s fixed the truck, we should go before the other demons come back.”

He cocked his head to the side as he caught sight of Riley standing in the middle of the trashed shop, opening and closing his mouth soundlessly

“Is he ok? I didn’t think humans came in that colour.”

  
  
  


**Somewhere dark, damp and now kinda chilly**

  
  


“Buffy, I really think if you put some more effort into it, you might break the bolt from the wall. Come along now, focus!”

Buffy gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she loved Giles like a father and he deserved some respect. Even when he was being…. what was it Spike called him? Oh yeah……a big twat.

“Giles, I’ve tried I can’t break them. Anya, what about you? Can you like morph out of here or something?”

Anya’s voice floated petulantly across from the other side of the pitch-black room

“I’m a vengeance demon, not a Power Ranger. And no I can’t. The chains seem to be repressing my powers in some way.”

“Great.”

Spike allowed his head to hit the wall behind him with a hollow thump and said angrily

“Well, aren’t we the biggest bunch of superhero losers you’ve ever seen? Right bunch o’ tossers we’ll look when this gets out. We’ll be a laughing stock.”

Cordelia shifted uncomfortably on the cold, wet floor and snapped in annoyance

“Shut it, Blondie. You’re already dead, the more pulse having amongst us have other concerns right now.”

She shifted again 

“D’you think they’ll let us have a potty break?”

Buffy groaned and heard, from somewhere nearby, Willow echo her

“Thanks Cor, now I need to go.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation Xander grinned and asked mischievously

“You know, being as we’re stuck here for a while, now would be a great time to answer that age old question; Why do girls always go to the smallest room in packs?”

  
  
  


**Riley’s breakdown, part 2.**

  
  


“ Bu….bu….but. Wha….wh……bu……”

Connor looped an arm around Dawn’s neck and pressed a kiss to her temple

“Are you ok?”

Dawn turned and smiled lovingly into his concerned eyes

“I’m fine, not saying I couldn’t use a couple of aspirin, but I don’t seem too bad. Must be the Summers-heal-thyself thing.”

Connor nodded and pulled her more tightly against him as though to reassure himself she was whole and unhurt, he nodded his head towards Riley

“Did you break him?”

Dawn looked unhappily towards the tall soldier and winced guiltily

“I told him who Dru was and why she was helping us and then I told him who you were and who your dad was and he kinda snapped.”

Riley’s eyes bulged at Dawn’s words and he gave a low growl and managed to force some words past his slack lips

“Buffy married SPIKE?”

Dawn laughed and then, seeing the look on Riley’s face stopped and said lightly

“God no! Buffy and Spike live together and Buffy let Spike claim me as his childe so I get some extra protection from the evil things in town. It’s cool.”

Riley looked revolted and spat

“How could she? How could she let that thing touch her after everything he did? How could she give him you?”

Connor felt Dawn tense under his arm and he gave her a firm squeeze to silence her

“That’s enough. I don’t know who you are but we don’t have time for this, we’re leaving now.”

“Take one step onto that street and I’ll have you picked up and under lock and key so fast you won’t have time to blink.”

Connor grinned mirthlessly

“You can try.”

He glanced down at Dawn

“Who  _ is  _ this guy?”

Dawn eyed Riley as though she’d never seen him before and said slowly

“Someone who used to matter. He dated Buffy when your dad left town.”

Riley scowled fiercely

“I’m never gonna be anything but Angel’s replacement to you people am I? I was never a person in my own right. Even Spike was accepted on his own terms with your precious sister and her friends, but never me.”

Dawn took a deep breath and said quietly

“Connor, go start the truck. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Connor hesitated briefly and then nodded

“Druscilla, Clem come with me.”

Dawn waited until they were a distance away and then turned back to Riley and gave him a soft smile

“I’m sorry you felt that way, Ri. You were a big part of our lives for so long and we loved you.”

Riley rolled his eyes in disgust 

“Oh, please. I was handy for the fighting and the occasional release of tension with your sister but that was it. Let’s face it; I was fairly easy to forget. What was it? Six, eight months before she bedded the fucking soulless demon? What did he do to earn it? Not snack on a few humans for a couple of years and betray her every chance he had. Big whoop, I gave up my friends, my career, my LIFE for her!”

Dawn stood tall as the ugly words spilled from his mouth and then took a deep centring breath as he ground to a halt. She faced him as his chest heaved with the force of his emotions and said quietly

“Did she ever ask you to do any of that stuff?”

She held up a hand to forestall another bitter speech and snapped 

“You let me finish! Buffy never asked you to be anything but what,  _ who _ , you were. You left her, Riley, not the other way around. You didn’t deserve what we offered you because you never let yourself be one of us. You were the one that never forgot Angel and what he and Buffy had.  _ You _ never let her leave it in the past and move on. Spike may not be perfect but he had one thing over you and always will, he  _ sticks _ . He’s saved me, Buffy and the others more times than any of us can count and he’s never let us down when we needed him. He goes to the wall for us every day and he was there for the bad stuff and the times we thought we’d never be able to breath again for no other reason than he wouldn’t let us face it on our own. He earns our acceptance and love every day just by being himself as hard as he can and letting us do the same and never, ever quitting when it gets too hard. You couldn’t take it Riley and you left, there’s no one to blame but you.”

She looked him up and down and then stepped lightly through the window and onto the street beyond and then paused

“I’m going after our families and I think it’s best you leave town when the sun’s up and you don’t come back. There’s no one here for you anymore.”

She strode across to where Connor and the others sat in the badly dented truck. She pulled the passenger door open and stepped inside and then, without looking back at Riley, said firmly

“We’re going to the Bronze. Hang a left at the end of the street.”

Riley watched as the truck squealed off in a haze of exhaust fumes and then reached for the radio at his belt. He unclipped it and brought it to his mouth

“This is Beta leader, come in.”

He waited for a reply and then spoke into the handset again

“Get a message to base. We have a situation.”

  
  
  


**Damp, Dark and now smelly**

  
  


“Eeew! What is that smell?”

Buffy screwed up her nose and winced at the foul odour

“Ain’t me. Fred, you had the tacos with the beans again?”

A soft, Texan accent floated out of the darkness

“Charles! Y’all shouldn’t say things like that, it just ain’t nice.”

Spike grinned 

“You tell ‘im luv. S’disgrace talking like that when we’re down ‘ere. Oi, Peaches, don’t you teach your humans any manners? Proper dungeon etiquette an’ all?”

Angel gave a soft chuckle and shifted to ease his cramping back

“Yeah, ‘cos that’s a top priority when we’re training. Moron. And my money’s on Cordy.”

An outraged squeal sounded as Cordelia entered the debate

“What? You undead loser! People who need their shoes hosing out once a week with a pressure hose just to keep the stink down shouldn’t talk. And you don’t even sweat!”

She huffed and winced as her bladder twinged again saying grumpily

“And it wasn’t me.”

“No. It would be me.”

There was dead silence for a moment and then Willow said slowly

“Hey guys? You know what I didn’t notice recently? A brand spankin’ new buddy who sounds like a cement mixer chewin’ an elephant.”

Spike peered desperately ahead of him

“Me neither. Who’s there?”

The silence stretched again and then the voice said

“I am Chanic and I am your doom. Tonight I will open the gate to hell and let my brethren free to feast upon your people and bring about the end of your world.”

There was another small silence and then Buffy sighed wearily

“Again?”

  
  


End Part 6.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven.

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, ShippersUnited, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, Jen and Ina because they rule all. Wicca for being fantastic and all on the ‘Brats for the encouragement and kind words.

  
  
  


Part 7.

  
  
  


After making a quick stop at a looted pharmacy to collect some painkillers for Dawn, Gunn’s very battered pride and joy screeched to a halt outside the Bronze.

“Ok, you SO need to learn what a brake is for!”

Connor scowled and jumped out the driver’s door 

“Excuse me? At least when people take a ride with me we all end up still conscious.”

Dawn folded her arms and glared at her boyfriend over the hood of the truck

“If they can survive the g-force and nosebleeds.”

Connor folded his own arms and matched her glare for glare and then they both turned round to stare at Druscilla as she wagged her finger at them and sang

“Birds in their little nests agree….”

There was a brief silence and then Dawn shook her head impatiently

“Whatever, can we just get in there and kill something already?”

Druscilla clapped her hands together and squealed with excitement

“Ooo, my favourite game, and afterwards we shall have tea and cakes and bathe in the blood of the children.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and stomped round the back of the truck to join Connor in sorting through the weapons

“No Dru, we’ll not be bathing in anything except demon entrails. No snacking on anything with a soul or we’ll be sweeping your ashes up come morning.”

“Princess wants to play.”

Connor glanced at the pouting vampire and shook his head in exasperation

“You can play. Anything with bumps or scales is fair game. Go nuts.”

Dawn smirked

“Already there, babe, already there.”

She gave a genuine smile as Clem edged up to her

“I’m not so sure about this, Spike’s not gonna be happy if I let you go in there and get killed.”

“Clem, I’m not going to get hurt. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

Dawn shoved blessed stakes into both deep pockets of Spike’s duster and said firmly

“I’m going in there and I’m gonna help Connor save the humans. All I need you to do is be on herding duty. Ok?”

The fleshy demon blinked nervously

“What?”

Dawn patted his shoulder and grinned reassuringly

“All I need you to do is get everyone out once the fighting starts ok?”

“I guess.”

Dawn nodded and ignored his doubtful reply

“Good. Connor let’s go.”

  
  
  


As far as the demons in the club were concerned things were going great. A bunch of helpless, terrified humans and no Slayer turning up to turn the air dusty with their remains, it was vamp Christmas, Hanukah and every other major religious festival they could think of all rolled into one. Until the door, that had been securely locked and bolted, was kicked in with enough force to send splinters clear across the room into the stage and two teenagers stormed through the ruined opening.

Dawn held her axe casually over her shoulder and surveyed the packed room. Bodies littered the floor and everywhere she looked were bleeding, terrified people surrounded by demons. She scowled and shouted into the silence

“Ok, everyone stop what they’re doing. Party time’s over.”

“DAWN!”

Her head snapped round at the desperate shout and her mouth fell open in surprise as she saw her two school buddies, Kit and Carlos, pressed back against the wall behind a line of demons

“What are you two doing here?”

Carlos shrugged and eyed the demons surrounding him, saying in his typically laconic way

“Just hangin’. A little dancing, a little study, a little blood crazed mayhem. You?”

Dawn touched the impressive bump on her forehead lightly

“Pretty much the same. Be ready.”

Connor glared around him and then glanced back as he heard a growl and saw Druscilla rip the head from a fledgling’s body. He raised an inquiring eyebrow and she shrugged and licked her fingers one by one staring hungrily over the room

“He was rude. Princess doesn’t like bad, rude men. They make my head hurt.”

Connor shrugged

_ Fair enough _ .

He turned back to the still silent room and said firmly

“Let the people go. Now.”

A small, dark haired vampire swaggered forward and hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his rather grubby jeans

“Oh yeah? Who’d ya think you are? Moses? And who’s going to make us? You and your mobile hottie show? I’d like to see that.”

Connor scowled and spat 

“Blasphemer.”

Dawn grinned widely

“ Jehovah, Jehovah.”

There was a long puzzled silence and finally Connor whispered 

“What?”

Dawn frowned in exasperation and sighed heavily

“You really need to spend some time with Spike and Xander and let them put you onto the finer things in life. It’s in a film ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’. They’re stoning a guy and call him a blasphemer and he does a little dance and chants ‘Jehovah’.”

She trailed off and muttered mutinously

“It’s funny, ok?”

Druscilla giggled behind them

“No one is to stake anyone until I blow this whistle!”

“What whistle?”

Connor looked around in confusion as Dawn rolled her eyes and grinned at Druscilla

“It’s another line from the film. Nice one Dru.”

The vampiress bobbed a curtsey

“Thank you, dearie.”

“Hello? Can we get back to your painful and bloody deaths please?”

The three of them turned back to the little vampire and Dawn nodded

“Oh sure. Sorry about that, where were we? Oh yeah, you were saying you’d like to see us make you let them go.”

Her hand came out of her pocket and she threw a specially weighted stake with pinpoint precision into the demon’s heart. Connor sighed in sheer admiration as the vampire exploded into ash and sighed

“God, I love you.”

Dawn’s mouth fell open in shock

“ _ What _ ?”

Connor blinked and looked nearly as surprised as Dawn at his heartfelt admission, then he blushed a deep rose red

“Nothing! I didn’t say anything.”

“Yes you did. You said you loved me!”

Connor backed up a step and bumped into Druscilla 

“No I didn’t!”

Dawn rolled her eyes and snorted in a manner very reminiscent of Cordelia

“Yes you did. Everyone heard you. Right?”

She turned to the silent, and slightly baffled room

“Everyone heard that, right?”

Several humans and two vampires nodded back at her in the affirmative. She looked back at Connor

“See? Witnesses. God, you have the worst sense of timing. Could you have picked a more inappropriate place to do that?”

Connor’s blush deepened

“It’s not like I planned it! It just slipped out.”

Dawn scowled

“Well, goodbye moonlight and roses, hello to romance Sunnydale style. _What do you think_ _you’re doing_?”

The entire room flinched in surprise as her voice cracked like a whip and she glared at a large Asian vampire trying to bite a struggling senior. Dawn put her hands on hips and said grimly

“Back away from buffet, fatboy. Around here you have to earn your food.”

The vampire looked from the struggling human in his hands to the bloodstained and furious girl before him

“Who’s gonna make me? You?”

Connor frowned 

“Didn’t we already have that conversation?”

“Yup.”

Dawn nodded and stepped two paces to the side, allowing Druscilla to step up between herself and Connor

“Princess is bored. I want to play.”

Connor exchanged a quick glance with Dawn and nodded in affirmation

“Right there with you. What do you think we ought to do?”

They looked appraisingly at the room and Dawn gave a casual shrug

“I dunno. Something violent?”

Connor gave a slow, cold smile

“ I like it. Ok, I’ll go left, Dawn to the right and Druscilla…”

Dawn giggled

“Go long, hut hut. On three?”

Connor gripped his sword and yelled in time with Dawn and Druscilla

“THREE!”

They exploded into motion and Connor felt the ease of being exactly where he should be wash over him. He felt time slow as he went on the offensive and his muscles sang with the sheer joy of the battle. He ducked a rush from a screaming vampire and staked it as it flew overhead and then came up to push his sword point home through the chest of a massive, brown demon as it came at him with a roar. He twisted to the side with barely a pause and pivoted to slam one hard foot into the face of a small, screaming demon with way too many teeth.

“Just kill the vamps! We need the others for questioning!”

Connor caught a glimpse of Dawn as she swung herself up onto one of the pool tables and ran across it to fling herself at the demons holding her friends. He dusted another vampire and then rabbit punched another clear across the room

“Got it!”

Dawn swung her axe handle at the face of a snarling demon that seemed to be all teeth and fur and simultaneously slammed her boot heel into the kneecap of another vampire. Kit and Carlos made the most of their opportunity and burst through the confused mass of demons. Carlos snatched a pool cue off the floor and snapped it over the edge of the table, tossing one jagged piece to Kit

“What do you want us to do?”

Dawn staked another vamp and tackled another monstrosity to the floor. She reared up and brought her axe down with a nasty crunch

“Get the people out!”

Carlos nodded and pushed Kit behind him as a vampire ran screaming at them and shoved his makeshift stake through the vampire’s heart

“On it. Let’s go people!”

Dawn rolled to her feet and plunged into the midst of another group of demons as her friends began to shepherd people to the exit, relieved that Clem had some help in evacuating civilians. She ducked as a vampire swung at her and then reared up to impale it on a stake and burst upright through the ashes

“Ok, no more Ms Nice-Key. Let’s finish this.”

  
  
  


**Cold, damp and confused** .

  
  


“Didn’t we have a bringing about the end of the world last week?”

“Nah, that was just a raising of a power. No world endage required.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cos, those demons looked pretty serious to me and I definitely felt a tremor.”

Cordelia’s voice floated out of the dark

“What day was that?”

Willow thought for a moment 

“Tuesday? Oh, wait, Wednesday I think ‘cos we had to deal with that whole raid on the blood bank as well.”

“In that case the tremor was us. We put down an opening of a demonic portal and got a little enthusiastic with the magic. Sorry.”

Buffy frowned 

“Really? What time?”

Angel entered the conversation

“About oneish? We were back home by two.”

Spike nodded

“Yeah, that sounds about right. That was you lot? Nice job.”

Angel grinned

“Thanks. We ended up using the Hulapis bind. Gotta tell you we thought we’d gone…..”

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone fell silent as the voice echoed in the small room and then Buffy said questioningly

“Jeez, what’s your deal?”

“I am your destruction and the death of your world and you will take heed of my words.”

Willow’s voice came apologetically

“Uh-huh, sure. Opening of the Hellmouth and feasting of the brethren. Check. Gotcha. Sorry, this kinda happens a lot and we might not be as stricken with horror as your usual sacrifices. Is there anything else you need?”

Xander sniggered

“Thousand vestal virgins? Blessed and holy blade? Deodrant?”

“Xander, that was unkind. Apologise immediately.”

“What? Giiiiles, I don’t wanna.”

The watcher sniffed and then screwed up his face as the appalling stench assailed him once more. He coughed and then said firmly

“I’ve told you a number of times about taunting other species and their habits and cultures. Apologise.”

Xander sighed

“Fine. Sorry. Happy now?”

“Ecstatic, thank you.”

Chanic growled furiously

“Enough of this! Which one of you is the Key?”

There was a pause of a heartbeat and then eleven voices sounded simultaneously

“I AM.”

  
  
  
  


End Part 7.


	8. Chapter 8

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven and mention of two new confirmed characters for season 7.

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Mel, Jen, Ina and Wic. Always there with the good stuff. ALL the ‘Brats and esp those who keep up the magnificent f/b. And a special one to Rakel ‘cos she’s the reason I got this part out so fast.

  
  
  


Part 8.

  
  


Dawn folded her arms and glared at the sorry looking pile of demons on the floor before her

“One more time. Who knows where my family are?”

Kit wandered up with a cold soda and gave her friend a smile as she handed the drink to her

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Rough night?”

Dawn took a grateful sip and closed her eyes as the cool liquid soothed her dry throat

“You have no idea. What about you?”

The Goth girl shrugged and ruefully examined the sleeve of her new black velvet dress, now hanging forlornly from her wrist

“I’ve had better. What’s going on?”

Dawn shrugged and narrowed her eyes at the demons on the floor

“I have no idea but someone here does. And if they don’t spill in the next few seconds I’m gonna really lose my temper.”

Kit grinned at her friend and looked pointedly at the devastation around them

“Yeah? Gee, I’d hate to be here when that happens.”

Dawn followed her friend’s gaze and choked on her soda at the dry comment

“Ha ha.”

Kit grinned and eyed the monsters on the floor warily, she turned away from them slightly and said in a low voice

“Is it true? Is the Slayer gone?”

Dawn shook her head

“Not gone. Missing.”

She stressed the final word and pushed away the terrifying thought that she might never see her sister again. She swallowed and said firmly

“Missing. And I’m gonna find them.”

Kit nodded and squeezed Dawn’s rigid arm

“I know. And Carlos and I are gonna help.”

Dawn frowned and shook her head

“Kit, I can’t let you do that. You and Carlos need to go home where it’s safe and wait this out.”

Kit tossed back her long black hair and looked amused

“Are you finished? Dawn, sweetie, there’s no way we’re letting you go back out there alone.”

“I’m not alone.”

Kit grinned appreciatively as she watched Connor talk in a low voice with Carlos

“You’re certainly not. So that’s Connor? He’s a babe.”

“Isn’t he?”

Dawn sighed happily then scowled and huffed an impatient breath

“Hey, no distractions with the hottie talk! You aren’t coming with us and that’s that.”

She turned as Connor made his way over to her side. He smiled at her and glanced disinterestedly over the pile of wounded demons on the floor

“So everything’s settled. I’ve given Carlos some stakes and a sword we got from one of the demons, I’ll get Kit some weapons when we go back out to the truck”

Dawn’s mouth fell open

“What? They aren’t coming with us!”

Connor glanced uneasily at the boy and girl who had moved to flank Dawn as naturally as if they’d been doing it their whole lives

“They aren’t? Why not?”

Carlos winked at Connor and forestalled Dawn’s answer

“Hang on, I know this one! Because there’s badness and evil afoot and we might get hurt. We could get captured or killed, or worse, be up all night and totally miss school tomorrow. That about cover it?”

Dawn gave a reluctant grin

“Smart-ass.”

Carlos smiled back 

“And correct me if I’m wrong but haven’t you been whining ever since we’ve known you that Buffy and the others treat you like a kid and never listen to you or what you want and that you have to put up with them making the decisions for you about the whole world savage?”

Dawn eyed her friends resignedly

“Point taken. Ok, you’re in, Giles and Buff can write us a note when we find them to get us off school. And I do NOT whine.”

Kit stifled a giggle and blinked innocently at her friend when Dawn glared at her

“Sorry, something in my throat. So, what do we do with these guys?”

The four teenagers turned back to the heap of tied up demons on the floor and stared at them thoughtfully. Connor rested his sword casually on his shoulder 

“We could torture them.”

There was a small silence and then Kit said warily

“Do you know how?”

“Well….no. But my Dad was really good at it once. I’m sure I’d pick it up.”

Connor looked doubtfully at the demons and then met Dawn’s eyes and shrugged

“I could give it a shot.”

They studied each other for a moment and then Dawn’s face brightened

“It’s ok, I’ve got an idea. DRU!”

The vampire turned from her conversation with Clem by the bar

“Yes dearie?”

“Come over here a minute would ya? Got a job for you.”

The two demons made their way across the wrecked dance floor and stopped at Dawn’s side

“What does my little poppet want her Granny to do? Would you like a bed time story and lollipops?”

“Maybe later.”

Dawn swung her arm around Dru’s shoulders and beamed happily down at the suspicious creatures on the floor

“This is Druscilla. She’s Angelus’ childe and William The Bloody’s sire. William also happens to be my de-facto father which makes Dru here my grandmother.”

She ignored the ripple of unease that passed through the group and squeezed Dru’s shoulder lightly

“Dru, somewhere in this group is someone who knows where your Daddy is AND who’s got him. Do you want to play a game?”

Druscilla clapped her hands excitedly

“Oh yes! Can I play hide and go seek? I will be it and I will count to a hundred before I come looking for my daddy and all the lovely people shall hide and scream when I find them.”

Dawn nodded at the increasingly nervous demons

“That’s a yes for those who don’t speak fluent Druscilla. You have thirty seconds to point out who the demon is that told you the Slayer’s gone before me and my friends take a walk outside for some air and leave you in Dru’s experienced and capable hands. No one will die, at first, but you’ll all be in a LOT of pain. Carlos, start the clock.”

  
  
  


**In the dark with Spike…….**

  
  


“Look mate, I don’t know how many times I have to tell ya…….I’m the Key.”

“And so’s my wife!”

Xander’s voice came out of the dark, closely followed by Anya’s outraged

“Xander!”

Xander grinned into the darkness

“Sorry, honey. It’s a humour thing, you wouldn’t get it.”

“I understand humour very well. That was not funny.”

Spike laughed

“It’s Monty Python, luv.”

“They aren’t funny either.”

“Anya!”

Xander sounded genuinely shocked at her words

“How can you say that? ‘Life Of Brian’ is a comedy classic.”

“It’s a pointless waste of film, featuring the same people throughout wearing stupidly obvious disguises in an effort to draw attention away from the fact they only had enough money for a small number of actors.”

Spike gave a gruff laugh

“Hello? Trying to save our asses here people. I’m the Key.”

“LIAR!!”

Spike rolled his eyes in frustration

“Why else would the Slayer let me live with her? I’m a blood-sucking fiend, for fuck’s sake. Grrr.”

“You lie. The Key is pure, sacred. You are unclean.”

Spike smirked

“Well whose fault is that? Wouldn’t hurt you to sweep up down here occasionally, y’know. Maybe a little lemon scented cleaner, something to think about innit?”

“SILENCE!”

The Scoobs and the Batpack obligingly fell quiet and waited patiently for the demon to speak. They heard a deep breath being taken, eerily reminiscent of Giles at his most exasperated, and then the unseen creature spoke with a sense of malevolent satisfaction

“I will take one of you and hurt them until the real Key confesses.”

Buffy’s mouth fell open and suddenly the situation wasn’t so amusing anymore

“What? You can’t do that!”

She pulled desperately at the chains holding her in place and began to thrash frantically against the wall

“You touch one hair on anyone’s head and I’ll kill you I swear to god. You bastard son of a whore, do you hear me?”

“BUFFY!”

“Bloody hell, luv!”

Willow and Spike spoke simultaneously, both in tones of shocked surprise at the Slayer’s language. Although Spike’s voice smacked of pleased admiration as well

“CHARLES!! Charles, it’s got me. Help me, oh god, help me….”

“Fred! Fred, where are you? Fred! Fred, answer me!”

Gunn’s terrified roar echoed off the cell’s walls as the others fought fiercely against the chains binding them and then there was only the sound of harsh breathing and Angel kicking brutally at the bolts holding the metal restraints to the wall. Gunn blinked back tears and whispered into the darkness

“Fred.”

  
  
  


**The Bronze**

  
  


Dawn scowled at the demon before her. Tall, with grey skin and sharp ivory horns protruding from the top of his head he stared defiantly back at her

“Tell me where they are.”

It shook its head and then flinched in surprise as the screams of its dying brethren reached its ears. Dawn cocked her head to one side and said calmly

“They gave you up to me and are being given a quick death, probably even a sporting chance knowing Connor. You aren’t gonna be as lucky. Tell me where to find the Slayer.”

“They’re dead.”

Dawn nodded impassively and then swung the solid, wooden bat she had found behind the bar to connect with a crunch against the demon’s left horn

“Liar. I’d feel it. Where are they?”

The demon collapsed to the floor and screamed as white blood ran from the ruined horn. Kit swallowed uneasily and watched Dawn as she reached down the heave the demon to its knees and swung to take the other horn off

“Where are they?”

The demon roared mindlessly with pain and lunged desperately at Dawn, spitting and snarling as it tried to savage her with its razor sharp teeth. She stepped back and swung her bat again, hitting strongly on the bridge of its nose. Kit closed her eyes as the bone cracked and more blood poured from the ruined face. Dawn pushed her hair back 

“One more time. Where are they?” 

She whirled in surprise and stumbled to the floor as a loud explosion rocked the night. Kit fell to the floor beside her and clutched her head as another crash ripped through the air. Dawn shoved her under a table and then came to her feet, running for the door. Connor joined her as she pulled it open and they stared in disbelief at the flaming ruins of Gunn’s truck in front of the club. Dawn yelped as Connor dragged her back inside and slammed the door as the truck belched flame again and then they stared at each other in disbelief. 

“What the hell was that?”

Carlos came to Dawn’s side and bellowed in her ear, unable to hear his own words thanks to the sheer loudness of the explosion. Connor shook his head in confusion and reached for Dawn’s hand to draw her, white-faced, into his arms

“Something happened to the truck.”

Dawn rested her head briefly on his chest and wondered how much one person was expected to deal with in one night. She closed her eyes momentarily and then lifted her head to give Connor a small smile

“Gunn is going to KILL you.”

Connor flinched as another small bang sounded from the ruined truck

“I know.”

  
  


End Part 8.


	9. Chapter 9

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven.

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, ShippersUnited, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Jen and Ina, never failing with the fantastic f/b and laughs. Mel, Wic, Lady, TW, Danel and Scribe; Spike’s Angels rule!!!!!!! All the people on the ‘Brats listing who like this fic, thanks guys!

A/N: Winifred Burkle was not harmed in the production of this fic. She was kept in humane conditions at all times and I have the Red Cross certificate to prove it.

  
  
  


Part 9.

  
  
  


“So let’s re-cap shall we?”

Kit and Carlos exchanged looks at Dawn’s irritated tone of voice and edged back behind the pool table as the dark haired girl began to pace up and down, stomping on the floor like she bore every square inch a personal grudge

“We’ve lost the others, found Dru, the ENTIRE demon population of Sunnydale is running riot, a squad of demon hunting soldiers are also running around shooting anything that moves, slayed a small percentage of bloodthirsty fiends to get to the ONE demon we know of that might know where our families are, he won’t tell us anything and now we’ve lost our one means of transportation.”

Connor and Clem exchanged looks, uncertain where she was going with her angry speech

“Uh-huh.”

“Yep, that sums it up.”

Dawn threw her hands in the air in frustration and gave a muffled scream through clenched teeth

“Aaargh! This night just sucks!” She grabbed her axe and whirled on her heel, the duster swinging out around her body as naturally as it had done on Spike. She pointed the weapon at the battered demon on the floor

“I’m having a shitty night and you haven’t made it any easier. Time to die.”

Connor hopped off his perch on a bar stool and snagged his girlfriend around the waist as she stormed by him, snatching the blood-encrusted axe away with the other

“Oh no you don’t.”

Dawn batted at his arm as he swung her effortlessly round and walked her away from the yelping demon

“Let me go!”

“You can’t kill him!”

“I damn well can! Let me GO!”

She twisted the skin on his wrist and slipped out of his grasp as he yelped and his hold loosened, then gave a loud screech as he grabbed for her coat and instead caught a handful of her long hair, yanking her head back

“OW!”

“Calm down!”

Connor ducked as she swung blindly at him and let go of her hair to wrap both arms tightly around her as he pulled her tightly against his body.

“You pulled my hair! You BASTARD!”

Kit, Carlos and Clem looked on with wide eyes as Dawn struggled against Connor’s grip and the two continued to yell at each other

“Do you think I should do something?”

Kit smiled at the nervous demon she had grown fond of in the last year or so and patted his arm consolingly

“When Dawn’s like this, it’s best just to leave her alone until she gets it out of her system.”

Carlos watched as Connor snarled in pain as Dawn raked her booted heel over his shin and slammed an elbow into his side. Connor used his heavier body mass and pushed her forward to bend facedown over a table

“Boy’s got cojones.”

“I should really do something.”

Kit winced as Dawn flung her head back and caught the bridge of Connor’s nose

“Rather you than me. I sure don’t wanna get in the middle of that.”

They all turned as Dru sidled up and tucked her slim, white hand into the crook of Clem’s arm

“Little brother and my Princess are afraid and hurting, the air shimmers with their fear.”

Clem twitched and took a step forward but Dru held him back

“No, they have more in them than humanity, they must soothe their other selves as well. Leave them to burn up the terror and let me help the poor puppy….”

Clem frowned down at the innocent looking creature

“Pu-pu-puppy?”

Kit and Carlos glanced around the floor and then exchanged confused looks. Kit spoke in a worried tone

“There’s a puppy here? It’s not hurt is it?”

Dru began to sway and turned her head to stare down at the captured demon

“Yes, the poor puppy suffers, but it’s alright. Mummy will make it better.”

She glided over to the demon and lifted its snarling face in her small hands until she stared into its eyes

“Ssh, my dear. Let Mummy kiss it better, look at me. Look in Mummy’s eyes, be in me, be in me.”

The Clem and the two teenagers watched in amazement as the snarling stopped and the demon relaxed into Dru’s hold. The vampiress smiled in triumph and whispered softly

“Show me Daddy.”

  
  
  


**Fred.**

  
  


Fred screamed as she was thrust unceremoniously through a doorway and into a dimly lit room. She blinked uncomfortably as her eyes adjusted to small amount of vision after hours of nothing but inky blackness.

“What’s going on?”

She jumped as the door to the bare room slammed shut behind her and then jumped again as the by now familiar demonic voice spoke directly into her ear

“Pain. My pet hasn’t fed in so long.”

Fred stumbled as she swung round trying to locate the owner of the voice but there was nothing in the room but four walls and the air

“I don’t suppose this pet is fluffy and kitteny is it?”

The door crashed open again and a snarling, feral beast flung itself through the door. Fred yelped and fell over onto her butt

“Didn’t think so.”

The creature stood quivering inside the doorway, sniffing the air, then gave a low growl, fixing hungry eyes on Fred and roared viciously

“Lo..lo.look, y’all don’t want to do this.”

The small, dark haired woman scuttled back on all fours and huddled by the wall as the huge demon advanced on her

“My friends are gonna be really angry if you touch me.”

She gave a scream as the dark, brown creature swiped at her with its talons and managed to roll under its arm to the relative safety of the middle of the room. As she scrambled to her feet she cast a desperate look around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon.  _ There _ ! She twisted as the creature lunged for her again and yelled angrily

“Hey, stinky-end-of-the-world-guy, get your scaly butt in here and fight your own battles.”

She dropped to her knees and shot through the demon’s legs, crying out as it managed to open a deep gash on her thigh with a wild slash of it’s claws. Fred rolled over the floor and snatched the long splinter of wood off the floor, she watched with wide eyes as the demon rushed towards her and made herself wait until the last possible moment to strike, Cordelia’s words on how to fight for your life echoing in her mind

<If you only have one shot and one shot only, go for the maximum amount of pain in the shortest possible time. Be quick, be strong and, above all, want to really KILL the sonofabitch>

The demon reared over her and Fred thrust up between its legs with her makeshift weapon. The initial scream of agony was abruptly cut off as Fred rammed the wood in as far as she could and then kicked out to send the demon crashing to the floor. She rolled to the side, ignoring the stab of pain from her own injury, and backed away in a crablike position from the pain-maddened creature on the floor

“I won.”

She whispered the words in disbelief and then got to her feet and shouted the words again in triumph

“I WON!”

She hammered on the thick, wooden door with her fists and yelled at the top of her voice

“Hey, mister! I broke your pet, y’all might wanna come and get him fixed up. He looks a little peaky.”

She stepped back so as to be behind the door when it opened, clasping her trembling hands into a tight double fist as she shouted defiantly

“Come on, you son-of-a-bitch, come in here and get your animal and see what I’ve got for you.”

She shook her hair back and grinned at the demon on the floor as it tore frantically at it’s own body to remove the alien object

“Who says I can’t fight? 

  
  
  


**In The Dark**

  
  


Gunn breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to Fred’s cocky words. He had nearly gone insane when he’d heard her terrified scream come over, what he assumed were loud speakers, and his heart still raced with fear and anger at the overheard battle. He turned his head towards the sound of Angel’s voice as the vampire spoke

“She’s ok, thank the Powers, she’s ok.”

Spike’s voice answered him

“’Course she is, bin trained by the best ain’t she?”

“Thanks Spike.”

Spike grinned at the surprised pleasure in Angel’s voice and couldn’t resist it. He put a just the right amount of sneer into his reply

“I meant the  _ cheerleader _ , you tosser.”

“Oh. I knew that.”

Buffy giggled at the annoyance in the older vampire’s tone and felt her muscles untense as she allowed herself to relax since she had first heard Fred scream. When the demon had taken the one person in the group that wouldn’t have any useful skills or powers if let out of their chains, she had really thought it was over. They had listened in tense silence as Fred had screamed for help and then the growls and snarls of her opponent had all but drowned her out. Buffy had shut her eyes and felt tears leak from under the lids as she heard the scream of incredible pain echo through the black room and then her head had snapped up and her eyes had stared unseeingly into the dark as Fred had yelled her victory at her captor. 

##  _ Thank God _

The Slayer laughed again as Willow spoke with only a slight tremble of relief in her voice

“So how long have you guys known she was Supergirl anyway?”

  
  
  


**The Bronze.**

  
  


Connor put all his weight on Dawn to keep her down and yelled angrily in her ear

“Would you quit it already?”

Dawn bucked up, scrabbling for purchase on the smooth wood beneath her and sobbing with rage and frustration as she failed to shift Connor in the slightest

“Get off me!”

“Not until you calm down.”

Connor tightened his hold on her as she bucked furiously against him again and yelled in a manner very reminiscent of his father

“What is your PROBLEM?!”

Dawn twisted beneath him again and then yelped as her arm twisted the wrong way in his grip. She felt the tears spring from her eyes, then abruptly all the anger and fight went out of her and she laid her head on the table and just cried. Connor frowned and lifted his head slightly to stare down at her, he waited a few seconds and, convinced the tears were genuine and not a cunning plan to fool him into letting her go thereby inviting a huge ass kicking, pulled her unresisting body up and turned her into his arms.

Dawn held herself rigid for a moment and then as the firm loving arms around her broke down the last of her defences slumped against him and sobbed all her fear and frustration out. Connor stared with panicked eyes over her head and tried desperately to think what his father would do in this situation. He frowned slightly, that was no good, Angel would call Cordelia or Fred and make it their problem, doing a fast disappearing act into the sewers into the bargain. Connor craned his neck to catch the eyes of one of her friends and was rewarded with the sight all of them industriously staring at the ceiling and pretending that they’d been temporarily struck blind to the sobbing young girl. Great.

_ Ok, don’t panic. You face the scum of the dimensions everyday of your life, one crying woman is nothing. Rub her back, that’s soothing right? _

He circled her back slowly with his hand and winced slightly as more forceful sobs shook her body. His hand jerked away as though burned and he scowled

##  _ Idiot! Right. Take control of the situation, MAKE her stop! _

Connor gripped Dawn’s upper arms, forcing her away from his body and shook her slightly

“Stop it! You’re being st….” He stopped himself in time remembering what happened the last time he had called her stupid and said hastily “ This isn’t helping. Stop it!”

His voice rose in desperation and his chest tightened as he looked at her stricken face, streaked with her blood and tears. He cursed violently and yanked her back against him, cradling her head tenderly 

“Please stop, I don’t know what to do. I don’t like to see you hurt, stop it. Please.”

He pulled her against him as tightly as he could and whispered again

“I don’t know what to do.”

Dawn shuddered and burrowed against him as she felt him begin to tremble with emotion

“Hold me. Just hold me and don’t leave.”

Connor sighed with small relief and backed them up until he felt the back of his legs hit a chair. He sat down and then swung Dawn onto his lap, holding her like a child

“That I can do.”

  
  


Carlos watched his friend sob in the arms of her boyfriend and reached to clasp Kit’s hand gently in his as her eyes filled with sympathetic tears for Dawn’s pain

“She’ll be ok now.”

Kit nodded “I know. Do you think we’ll find them?”

They jumped and gasped as Druscilla came up silently beside them, gave them a sly smile and said with a giggle

“We already have.”

Carlos frowned

“What?”

The vampire stretched up onto her toes and twirled joyfully across the ruined club singing lightly

“I’ve found my daddy and there will be cuddles and smacks before bedtime.”

She giggled and spun in a tight circle, her white dress flaring out around her ankles

“Oh yes, cuddles and smacks and we shall play with the naughty teddies in the woods. Grrr.”

Dawn lifted her head from Connor’s shoulder

“We’ve found them?”

  
  
  


End Part 9. 

  
  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time, however, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

A/N & Dedications: Well, its been a while. First off, sorry for the long delay on the update but I’ve been kinda busy. Second, I will be fulfilling my obligation to BOTH the spin off series’ and they will be with Fernando and Co shortly. I will also be trying to access the site in the next couple of days and find out where we are with the rr and pick up my ep on that accordingly. Ok, on with the show, Buff and the gang are still locked up in the dark but Dawn and her mob are on the case thanks to Dru. It’s all about to get ugly. Hope you all enjoy and don’t judge it too harshly, I’m WAY out of practice!!!! Mel, thanks for being a pal and sticking with, Fernando, for being so understanding and everyone else who’s e-mailed me with nice thoughts and stuff. My account imploded so I have no idea who you all are but THANK YOU!!!!

  
  


**Part 10.**

  
  


“This is just embarrassing.”

Spike pulled irritably at his restraints and scowled into the darkness. “I’m the big bad, dammit, and Peaches is meant to be the scourge of the fucking known world.” There was the sound of chains being yanked taut and then rattled angrily “I don’t sit around and wait for things to eat me, I eat them for fucks sake!”

He froze as a pointed cough came from Buffy’s general direction and then carried on without missing a beat “When I say eat I mean give them a bloody good talking to and then sent them on their way with a couple of bucks and a thick ear, of course.”

He scowled as he heard Angel give a snicker and then a pained yelp as something connected sharply with his ankle. There was a silence and then the older vampire muttered “Me too. No eating of the food for me. No sirree. Coffee and donuts all around.”

Giles sighed and shifted to try and find a comfortable spot of the cold hard floor. “Children, please. We need to think of a way to alleviate the situation.” He paused “Or at least make use of the facilities and secure a nice warming beverage.”

A maddened explosion of air sounded from Anya’s direction “Yes, that’s just what we need. Tea. I personally find being chained in a basement in the dark and cold, waiting for something to eat me SO much more bearable when I know I have a cup of dead leaves strained through hot water beside me.”

They all paused as they heard a door opening and then Fred’s voice yelled furiously “You get your hands off me you son of a bitch!” There was a muffled thump “I said get your hands off me! I kicked your pet’s ass and I’ll kick yours too.” A pained cry rang out “Ha! Told ya! Ya’ll touch me again and I swear I’ll kill your scaly butt where it stands.” Buffy turned her face towards the sound of the a scuffle and the desperate attempts of a demon to chain two wrists to a wall while simultaneously trying to peel a pair of clawed hands from around its throat. Finally they heard feet retreat hurriedly across the floor and the door bang shut.

“Fred? You ok, baby?” Gunn’s voice was filled with anxiety as he strained towards his love; Cordelia snorted “Hello? Kicked ass in a big way and then gets dragged back still cursing and fightin’? I say she’s just fine, right sweetie?”

Fred grinned happily into the gloom and said with deep satisfaction “Uh-huh. I’m just fine and dandy. Are ya’ll ok?”

Gunn shut his eyes and swallowed slowly before he could be sure his voice wouldn’t betray him. “We’re fine. I was worried.” Fred blinked back tears at the gruff concern in his voice and silently promised herself that as soon as they were back home she’d be giving him a big surprise the minute she got him alone and naked. She grinned smugly as she thought of the half an hour spent with Cordelia earlier that week and the very informative way her friend had taught her to eat a carrot. Her grin widened as she pictured Gunn’s face when she practised the same moves on a certain part of his anatomy. “Worried about me? Oh please, ya’ll know I can take care of myself.”

“Well, we sure as hell do now.” Xander tried to flex his cramped muscles and groaned as his shoulders protested “Hey, bleach boy, you had a lot of years to practise the fine art of juvenile delinquency, can’t you do something about these locks? Snag a hair grip already and get pickin’.”

“Do I look like the soddin’ Artful Dodger to you, chubby?”

“Oh what, you’re evil but you have standards? You must have picked a damn lock at some point in your oh so blood soaked past.”

Spike snarled and felt his hackles begin to rise at the snarky tone “Oh yeah, then for an encore I went out and picked a pocket or two. I’m a vampire mate. Locks were made to be broken.”

“Oh good grief. Xander, Spike will you please desist from your childish antics and either assist in thinking of a plan to get us out of here or remain silent so the rest of us can concentrate on the problem in hand.”

Xander gave a huge grin and knew without needing to see the look on Spike’s face that his nemesis cum best male bud was wearing an identical evil grin. Time for one of their favourite games. Bait the Giles!

“Speaking of criminal masterminds, Giles, you had an adventurous time of it when you were a wee nipper. What say you break out the hair pins and get us the hell out of here?” Spike laughed and joined in happily as Xander broke off

“Yeah, come on Rupert. The way I heard it you were a bit of a hell raisin' nipper back in the day, what say you take that stake outta your ass and let ol’ Ripper out to play for a while?”

Giles sputtered in indignation and glared over the top of his glasses into the dark “You know very well that those days are behind me and I am entirely respectable these days……..”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a regular example to us all, librarian boy, now drop the outraged pillar of the community bit and make with the criminal moves already.” Cordelia shifted uncomfortably as her bladder began to throb and her tone was full of the bite of her Queen C days.

“Well, really, I don’t know where you got the idea that I know………”

“Hello? I was in on the rescue party for Glinda and Slaygal when they were looking to get up close and personal with the business end of a flaming torch in high school, remember? I saw you jimmy the lock plain as day. Now jimmy us the hell outta here already.”

Giles huffed in annoyance “That was a long time ago and I’ll thank you to remember that the last few years have consisted mainly of an ability to use a sharp edged weapon and run away from screaming hordes of demons. I’m very out of practice.”

“Then it is fortunate that your weak skills will not be needed, human.” The gang jumped and cursed as Chanic’s voice echoed through the room. Buffy scowled directly in front of herself and spat venomously “Will you stop doing that, you piece of crap? Knock or something.”

The demon ignored her and continued in a satisfied voice “You will be dead soon and no longer in need of escape.”

Spike snorted “I don’t think so mate. You can’t kill us until you know which one of us is the Key and there ain’t a body here that’ll tell you that.”

“I know who the Key is, vampire. She is on her way here and now there is nothing to stop me bringing forth my brethren and wrecking havoc upon your world.”

Buffy felt her chest tighten unbearably as she thought of her younger sister being used as a sacrifice and being brought alone and scared before a demon intent on killing her. She clenched her hands as images filled her head of Dawn helpless and afraid calling for her sister to come and save her and then, unexpectedly, another image popped up. One of Dawn covered in blood and demon gore and taking down a demon three times her size without breaking a sweat. Then another of her baby sister laughing as she effortlessly took out two vampires with Buffy trapped in her own battle and unable to do anything but watch. The pressure in her chest eased a bit. Dawn was no Slayer but maybe she didn’t have to be. She raised her chin and said calmly “Good luck, Dead Demon Walking, you’re gonna need it.”

Spike grinned into the darkness and deliberately forced away the image of his nibblet dying in pain and fear and instead focused on his beloved girl hacking apart the smug bastard holding them. “She’s not kidding, bollock brain, you just invited the ass kickin’ of a life time.”

This time Buffy felt the demon leave and only then did she allow herself to start to shake. Spike growled fiercely and yanked once more at his chains “Pet, I can’t…..”

Buffy shook her head slightly and blinked back terrified tears “Its ok, Spike. She’ll be ok and she’ll get us out of here.”

  
  
  


**The Bronze** ,  **fifteen minutes earlier.**

  
  


“Can you lead us to them, Dru?” Dawn’s voice trembled with relief and urgency but her eyes were steady on the vampire’s face as Druscilla nodded and said with unusual clarity

“Yes. I don’t know the name of where they are but I can follow them on the road in my head.”

“Good enough. Are they…..are…..”

Druscilla smiled widely and put out a gentle hand to rest on the side of Dawn’s face “All the pretty cats live, little bird. Daddy and my William are angry and they rage against the dark but they all live. They cannot die while the Key lives.”

Connor started and stared wide-eyed at Dawn as she flinched back from Dru’s caress

“The Key? Are you sure?” Dru’s eyes swung to Connor at the urgent enquiry and her eyes unfocused as she looked inside herself and at the information she had taken from the captive demon

“Yes, they must have the Key. They do not which one of the kitties is the Key and while they do not know they cannot kill. When the Key is found they will sacrifice the rest as the Key’s power is drained and the portals are opened.”

Dawn flinched as Kit put her arm around her shoulders and said firmly “This is not your fault. You had no way of knowing what this was about and if you had been taken with them you would all have been dead hours ago.” Dawn nodded shakily at the calm words and brought a hand up to squeeze Kit’s as the girl continued “This way they have a chance.  _ We _ have a chance.”

“I know. You’re right.” Dawn’s chin came up and she gave Connor a fierce smile “Ready?”

Connor crossed the room to catch her against him and press his mouth hard against hers “Always.” He felt her shudder once against him as she allowed herself to lean for a moment into his strength and then she pushed him firmly away and turned to Clem

“You stay here.” Her hand came up to stop his automatic protest and she said calmly “Someone needs to contact the Council and tell them what happened to us if we don’t come back. We don’t know what might come through if we lose and the Council will need all the information they can use if that happens.”

“But Spike…….”

“Will be dead and not able to kill you. You’re staying here Clem.” Dawn walked across to her friend and flung her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek softly “We’ll be ok.” She turned to her Connor and held out a hand for her axe “We need to go steal some wheels.”

They left Clem behind staring anxiously after them and from the balcony above a pair of eyes watched them leave and then slowly drew back into the shadows. Clem turned sharply and stared into the dark recesses up above as an uneasy shiver ran down his spine, after pausing for a few seconds he shook himself hurriedly and walked out the back door.

  
  


Forty minutes later they were speeding along the road out of town in Giles’ delivery van and watching Druscilla in tense silence as she sat with Carlos up front concentrating on picking up their missing family’s trail. Kit sat by the rear window of the van peering behind them at the dark road and the flames visible in the night sky from the burning Town Hall “Your sister is gonna be pissed when she sees the mess in town.” 

Dawn looked up from sharpening her axe and flashed a quick grin “You’re not kidding. She gets real annoyed when I don’t clean up my room, when she sees what the demons have done there’s gonna be some serious ass kicking going on.”

Connor snorted “You think that’s bad, wait till Cordy sees the state of the hotel. My money’s on her in the pissed stakes.”

Dawn grinned, “ That’s your biggest problem? Wait till Gunn sees what’s left of his truck. You are SO grounded.” Connor shifted uneasily and thought of the Angelmobile smoking at the side of the freeway in LA and wondered just how many points he’d be earning saving his family from certain death weighed against the fact he’d totalled two out of their three cars in one night. He had a sinking feeling there weren’t enough brownie points in the world to save him from his father’s righteous wrath.

Long minutes passed and then at last Druscilla swayed in her seat and gestured with a languid arm for Carlos to turn off the road and onto a dirt track almost invisible in the darkness “Down there. My Daddy is close, he’s waiting with tea and cakes for his little boy to come play.”

Carlos obediently swung the van off the road and flicked the vampire an amused look “Turn left would have done.”

Druscilla ignored him and leaned forward to press her face against the cold windshield “I can feel them. My Daddy is calling to me.”

Dawn gave her axe one last swipe with the small whetstone she had lifted from the supplies in Giles’ store and nodded to Connor “We should stop the van soon and go in on foot. We don’t want to tip them off we’re coming.”

“Agreed. Druscilla, tell Carlos when we’re close enough to go in on foot.” 

Fifteen minutes later they were laying on their bellies on top a small hillock and looking down on a sprawling farmhouse standing quiet in the moonlight. Connor and Druscilla eased forward slightly and studied the lie of the land carefully with their superior night vision. They exchanged glances and them slid back to draw level with the others once more

“There’s demons here, I can smell them. They’re all inside the house and there doesn’t seem to be any obvious early warning systems or alarms around the house.” Connor spoke in a low voice and kept one careful eye on the house as he relayed his findings “We should split up and hit the house from as many sides as we can. Dawn, Carlos take the front and Kit and I will take the back. Druscilla………..”

The dark haired woman giggled, “Go long. Hut, hut.”

Dawn laughed despite herself “You got it. Ok, let’s get on with it.” She pushed against the ground to lever herself to her feet and then turned her head sharply as Connor gave a surprised grunt. He stared at her with wide eyes and she saw a long dart stick out from his neck when he raised a slow hand to his throat then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell face forward to the floor. Dawn flung herself towards him and then her head snapped round as Kit gave a muffled scream. The other girl pointed with a shaking hand to Druscilla as the vampire collapsed gracefully to the floor with an identical dart in her own neck. 

“Get down!” Dawn knocked Kit to the floor and looked frantically around for Carlos as she stretched her body over her prone friend and was relieved to see him looking scared but unhurt a few feet away. She turned her head as the sound of pounding feet reached her over the sound of her heart and watched in astonishment as six humans dressed in de rigueur commando black, complete with ski masks, broke over the top of the small rise and pointed small automatic rifles at them.

“STAY DOWN ON THE FLOOR! DO NOT MOVE! STAY DOWN!”

Kit whimpered again and Dawn instinctively pressed her body down harder in an effort to give some comfort. She hissed with pain as one of the soldiers stepped forward and wrenched her arms behind her back and snapped some cold cuffs on her wrists and then she screamed aloud as she was dragged to her feet by her hair. Carlos and Kit were given the same treatment and then all three were forced to watch as the unconscious Dru and Connor were similarly restrained but with several hard blows and kicks as their captors took advantage of their unconscious state. Dawn pulled furiously at the grip of the man that held her as she watched Connor’s head rock back under a vicious kick and then cried out in terror and rage as a sharp snap rang out into the night when another solid kick shattered a rib.

“Stop it! Leave him alone! Pick on someone who can fight back you bastards!”

Kit screamed as another faceless soldier slammed his fist into Dawn’s cheek and sent her to her knees and then everyone froze as a quiet voice said “ Stand down.” Carlos turned his head and watched a tall, well-built man come over the top of the hill and move easily through the loose line of soldiers. He stopped before Dawn and reached out to touch her cheek gently, wiping his thumb through the blood that streamed from the deep gash below her eye “I told you to stay out of this Dawn.”

The young girl blinked at the regretful tone of voice and shook her head slightly as though to clear her thoughts “Riley?” The man reached up to pull off his mask and Riley nodded grimly as he tucked a strand of hair behind Dawn’s ear

“Yes.”

“Riley, I don’t understand, what’s going on? You know we aren’t the bad guys, tell them to let us loose.”

Dawn’s voice was filled with confusion but Carlos looked at her face as she spoke and he watched the slow look of realisation and horror steal across her bloodied features. Riley shook his head and gave a cold parody of the farm boy smile Dawn used to know as well as her own mother’s “I think you know that’s no longer an option. I have to take you in.”

Dawn blinked and stared at the face above her trying to find some small sliver of the man that she thought she had once known “Riley, Buffy and the others are down there. Let me go get them and then I’ll come with you, I swear.” Kit shivered and tried to shift closer to Carlos as Dawn’s eyes filled with pleading tears and her voice cracked with emotion. Riley drew a soft hand over her hair and smiled again as he leaned forward to say softly in her ear

“Don’t worry Dawnie, I’m not here to keep you out.” He brushed a kiss across her filthy skin and whispered, “I’m here to get you in.”

Dawn flinched back and then the last thing she saw before the darkness dragged her down was the flat of Riley’s hand speeding towards her face.

  
  


End of Part 10. 

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Beta:  **Syn**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Firstly to my brand spankin’ new beta, Syn. She came out of nowhere and committed herself without a thought or her own personal safety or sanity to the madness that is my fics. Thank you sooooo much for all your hard work babe. Next up is Mel (hands up who’s surprised?!), thanks for everything hun, I love you loads. Fernando, Queen C, Rakel, Kim, Rach, Ina, Jen and all the usual crew, thanks for the support and f/b.

  
  


**Part 11.**

  
  


Dawn woke slowly and reluctantly, wincing at the sharp pain in her head. Her arms sang with pain and tension as they lay trapped beneath her, but when she tried to ease them free all she succeeded in doing was twisting the muscles in her shoulders. Her eyes flickered open and she focused, with difficulty, on the white tear streaked face of Kit lying a few feet away. Kit shook her head slightly, stalling the flood of questions that sprang to Dawn’s lips, and flicked her eyes over Dawn’s shoulder to indicate they were not alone. Dawn kept perfectly still and moved her eyes slowly around to try and get her bearings. From what she could see, she lay in some kind of basement on a rough earthen floor. There were no windows on the two walls she could see, but there appeared to be dark, ominous stains on the walls and floor, indicating that for the people who normally visited the basement things did not have a happy ending. She looked back to Kit and mouthed silently, “Are you alright?” 

Kit blinked once and gave a small smile, Dawn returned it and then mouthed again, “The others?” 

Kit’s face fell and a lone tear slipped down her cheek to disappear into the roots of her hair. Dawn’s mouth went dry and her heart froze in her chest as she tried to understand Kit’s reaction. She tried desperately to recall what had happened in her last few conscious moments and although she knew that Connor and Dru were fairly badly beaten she was nearly sure they were alive when she last saw them. Her face darkened as she thought once again of Riley’s betrayal and she made a silent vow to herself that if anyone she cared about was hurt there would be a serious smacking coming to the ex-farm boy.

Kit’s eyes widened in fright suddenly and then Dawn was yanked, yelling with pain, to her feet. She nearly lost her footing as she was pulled round to face her antagonizer and then she found herself looking once more into Riley Finn’s cold eyes. As much to her own surprise as to his, Dawn didn’t waste a second and jumped up to bring her forehead hard between his eyes, taking the yell of pain and the sharp crack of the bridge of his nose giving way as an indication of a job well done. Slightly dazed, she staggered back and watched Riley stumble away from her, clutching his face and swearing loudly as blood began to pour between his fingers. 

Dawn laughed as he blinked at her through tears of pain and rage and said mockingly, “You’ve lost your edge, Ri. That’s payback for the slap you gave me, come over here and we’ll start working off the debt you owe Connor and the others.”

Slowly Riley straightened and then he took his hands away from his blood soaked face to leave the blood flowing freely over his lips. His big hands clenched at his sides as he visibly fought to control his temper, then he said in a low voice, “What are you? You aren’t human, you can’t be, no one recovers from two head traumas like you’ve had in one night. The way I hit you, you should have been out for hours.” His lip curled in disgust and he spat angrily, “What the hell are you?”

Dawn drew herself up proudly and moved forward to stand beneath the weak light of the single light bulb. Her hair was plastered to her head on one side with her own blood, on her left cheek an angry bruise was forming in direct competition with the livid colors of the black eye that grew above. Her lips were dry and cracked and along her jawbone ran another fierce bruise, courtesy of the punch she had taken from the soldier earlier. Spike’s duster hung off her shoulders in black, dusty folds and was spattered here and there with the blood of various demons and humans that she had encountered that night. The clothes underneath were ripped and shredded where she had battled for her life and here and there her flesh shone palely through, still seeping with blood in places. 

Dawn met Riley’s eyes and gave him a warm slow smile as she rolled her shoulders to ease the cramp in her bound arms, “I’m Dawn Summers and I’m beyond you in every way, Riley.” She took a fast step towards him and laughed as he took an instinctive step back, “Still scared of things you don’t understand Riley? It must be hell for you to even get out of bed in the morning.” Dawn narrowed her eyes and hissed, “Now I’m getting bored, where the hell are Connor and the others?” 

Her head turned as a foul smell wafted from the corner of the room and a voice that made her skin ripple with disgust spoke, “We’ll take you to the other sacrifices soon, Key.” 

Dawn scowled and wrinkled her nose, “Xander? Is that you? Jeez, change the socks occasionally why don’t ya?”

The smell picked up noticeably in strength as a wave of sheer animosity so palpable Dawn could almost taste it washed over her.

“Insolent child. I will en…” The voice cut off on an angry exclamation as Dawn rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, is there any chance we can pick this up at all? I haven’t eaten all night, I still have lots of papers to get in for tomorrow and, no offence, but I’m starting to smell as bad as you.”

Dawn dimly registered Riley’s gasp of horror and Kit’s fear filled scream as the hidden figure slowly moved forward into the light, but all her attention remained on the most butt ugly demon she had ever seen in her life. He stood at least nine feet tall, gray with putrid weeping sores covering his misshapen body. One eye was set considerably lower than its mate on a face that seemed to be a dumping ground for facial features and the thing’s mouth hung slack, revealing sharp teeth, weeping with strings of discoloured saliva. 

Dawn grinned, “Hello handsome.” She paused a beat and her grin widened. “Not!”

Kit scrabbled back frantically as Chanic moved towards Dawn with a growl but Dawn stood her ground and remained smiling up at the creature. 

She raised one delicate eyebrow. “Well, I can see why you have a burning desire to be a big bad, not exactly a face a mother could love is it?” She sniffed delicately at the air and crinkled her pert little nose. “And a leper too? Man, you were so not there the day they handed out luck, huh?” 

Kit screamed as the demon’s hand shot out and wrapped itself around Dawn’s throat to lift her kicking and cursing into the air. The growling from the demon rose in intensity until the very walls seemed to shake with it and then suddenly the vicious noise was abruptly cut off. Dawn was dropped suddenly to the floor and she rolled with the impact to bring herself up at Kit’s side. She lay panting for a minute and then met her friend’s incredulous eyes, Kit watched as one long denim clad leg rose into the air and Dawn’s combat boot waggled teasingly into the air. For a moment she didn’t understand and then her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she saw the long silver blade attached to the end of the shoe. Dawn coughed harshly and rasped, “Gotta love Spike.”

The girls turned their heads as a long howl sounded from the demon and then they both gagged as a steaming pile of innards fell from between the creature’s hands that clutched at his stomach and hit the floor with a splash. There was silence for a few moments and then the huge body sank down on top of it’s own intestines and lay still. Dawn struggled into a sitting position and stared thoughtfully at the blade winking in the dim light as she wiggled her feet, “Damn, these things are sharp!”

**********************

Connor was having a very bad night. He remembered nothing of being shot or beaten, so when he woke to find himself in the dark, with a broken rib, covered in bruises and one eye stuck shut with his own blood it came as somewhat of a surprise. The even bigger surprise was finding himself waking up, upside down and naked over a steaming pot of what looked like oil. He gave a low, heartfelt moan “Oh hell, not again.”

He turned his head painfully at the sound of a low chuckle and saw Carlos chained against a wall. The dark haired boy looked slightly bruised but mostly unharmed. Connor was also not amused to note that Carlos also had all his clothing on. He twisted his head around and saw Drusilla chained against the opposite wall, still unconscious and covered in blood. He sighed deeply; she also still had all her clothes attached. “Damn it, why is it always me?” 

Carlos found a weak grin somewhere deep inside himself. “This happen a lot?” 

Connor paused in flexing his wrists against the chains holding his arms behind his back, “You have no idea.” He tilted his head up towards the ceiling and sighed as he saw thick metal chains biting into his unprotected ankles. That was really going to chafe later. He allowed his head to flop back down and his body to spin in a slow easy circle from the momentum of his movements as he continued to address Carlos. “This is the third time in six weeks.” He paused as his body swung slowly away from the other boy and then continued petulantly as they made eye contact again, “And it’s always naked. Why do I never get to keep my clothes?” There was another pause as he swung around and then he said in an anxious tone as Carlos came into to view again, “They didn’t burn them did they? My mother gets really pissed if they get burned.” 

This time Carlos’ grin was more spontaneous as he fought back a giggle at the sight of a naked seventeen year old boy, hanging upside down over scalding liquid worrying more about his mother’s reaction to the possible destruction of an outfit than his own imminent and painful death. “They threw them over there. I think they’re ok.”

Connor waited until his body swung into position and then stared intently into the gloomy corner Carlos had indicated. He squinted his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank the Powers.” 

There was a silence of a few moments as Connor gently swung to a standstill and then Carlos burst out unhappily, “They took the girls, I don’t know if they’re ok.”

Connor cricked his head from side to side and tried to relieve the uncomfortable build up of blood that was slowly filling his head. He winced as the pounding ache in his head increased and said distractedly, “Don’t worry they’ll be fine.” 

Carlos pulled angrily at his chains and shouted in a mix of fear and anger, “How do you know that? They beat you guys up and smacked Dawn around.”

That got Connor’s attention. “They hit Dawn?”

Carlos sighed, relieved to have finally got some kind of a reaction. “Yeah, a big guy hit her so hard that she passed out.”

Connor snorted and said with absolute conviction, “Then be thankful we’re down here and she’s elsewhere waking up, because when she does, it is  _ not _ going to be pretty.” He cocked his head again and appeared to listen intently for a moment. “Has the screaming started yet?” 

Carlos opened his mouth to reply and then could only shout in horror as Connor’s chains suddenly fell loose from the ceiling and left him plummeting into the vat of boiling oil. The boy twisted sharply in the air and, with a move that started by defying gravity and finished with smashing most of the laws of physics, managed to send his body past the lip of the container and crashing heavily to the floor. There was a muffled grunt as his broken rib received a heavy pounding and then he was bouncing to his feet and moving swiftly to stand in front of Carlos. 

The other boy closed his mouth with an audible snap and then his eyes followed suit as Connor’s naked ass filled his vision. He swallowed several times to ease the dryness in his mouth and managed to say reasonably calmly, “How did you do that?”

Connor kept his eyes on the door that was opening slowly. “I’ve had a lot of practice.” His tone of voice changed entirely as a tall figure strode through the opening and down the short flight of stone steps, “Oh no, not you again. What do you want now?”

Riley stopped a cautious few feet from Connor and glared at the naked teenager menacingly. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could Connor smirked and nodded at the blood still caked onto the former demon hunter’s face, “Dawn’s woken up then?” His eyes went past Riley to the doorway as Dawn and Kit were shoved roughly through and to the floor. His face lit up. “Hey sweetie.”

Dawn scrambled to her feet and then stood still long enough to allow Kit to pull herself up before making a beeline for Connor. She was within three feet of him when she realized he had less on than when they first met and the slight chill in the basement air didn’t seem to be affecting him at all. 

She stopped suddenly and gave a long appreciative whistle. “Well, he-llloo!”

Connor grinned at the lusty look his girlfriend was sending him and flexed his stomach and chest muscles. “Hello yourself.”

Dawn, not to be outdone in the nonchalant stakes, shrugged and said coolly, “Well, it’s not how I pictured our first time, but I’m game if you are.” She turned to the increasingly unhinged Riley and tilted her pelvis towards him. “We have a few moments before we kick your ass, right? Could you just give me a hand getting my pants off. . .?”

Riley’s face flooded with fury and he shoved Dawn unceremoniously away from him. Connor took the opportunity to step forward and snap a heavy kick into the back of the older man’s legs, sending him heavily to the floor. He brought his foot back to slam into the side of the man’s skull and then paused as Kit gave a short, terrified scream. Dawn turned her head and saw another soldier holding her friend in one brawny arm and a handgun in the other pressed against Kit’s temple. 

Connor moved back as the soldier said quietly, “You have three seconds to step off.”

Dawn shook her head in disgust as Connor backed up against the wall by Carlos and Kit was shoved to the other side of the room to fall into Drusilla’s lap. For a moment Dawn thought the vampire was still unconscious, but one eyelid lifted and dropped in a wink and she bent her legs slightly to pull the shaken human girl protectively into her body. Dawn risked a quick glance at Connor and saw he had also seen the slight movement from his father’s childe. Dawn felt the tension in her chest ease slightly and she met Riley’s eyes with renewed confidence. “Ok, the gang’s all here. Get on with it, what’s the sitch?”

Riley glared at the still defiant girl. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you? Just like her, a bitch right up till the end.”

Dawn fought down the brief surge of panic that her sister was no longer amongst the living,  _ again _ , and eyed the tall soldier disparagingly. “Bite me Finn. Get on with whatever it is all this is about and let’s finish it.”

Riley grinned coldly. “So eager to die? Another thing you and Buffy share.”

Dawn snorted. “Ya wanna know what else we share? A low tolerance for boredom and stiff soldiers with stakes up their asses, so unless you want to get kicked to the curb by a second Summers hottie, make with the confessions. Git-face.” She glanced at Connor and said proudly, “That’s a Spike-ism.”

Connor flexed his wrists testing the chains binding them and flashed a smile. “I guessed.”

Riley snarled at Dawn and stepped towards her, pushing his face into hers. “You’re going to die and I’m going to be there, laughing my ass off.”

Dawn frowned in disgust, “Well, shit, you stole my line.” She turned her head as the door to the room opened yet again and her mouth fell open in surprise. “Hey, didn’t I kill you already?”

The demon filled the doorway and made his way silently into the room as Riley gloated, “That’s not Chanic, this is his brother, Buonce.”

“ _ Be-yon-say _ ? That’s kinda a pansy ass name, isn’t it?”

Carlos smirked at Dawn’s giggled remark as Riley scowled and the demon paused in his dramatic entrance for a moment. 

The young brunette sniggered again. “So what’s your deal? I thought you liked ‘Independent Women’?”

The last remark even raised a smile from Kit, as she pressed back against Dru in terror when the demon passed by her feet. Buonce came to a halt before Dawn and lowered his massive head to look her in the eye . “Your sister and your friends gave you to us before they died, to ensure they died a quick death. You might consider following their example.”

Dawn cocked her head to one side and considered the demon for a moment and then cut her eyes towards Connor. He eyed her back with a slightly confused look on his face, Dawn looked back at the demon, “Excuse me?”

“Your sister and your friends gave us your identity in exchange for a quick and merciful end, unlike the one that will be given to you and your followers.”

Connor stepped forward slightly and coughed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt but are you sure you have the right people? You did snatch the Slayer, right?”

Dawn nodded and said helpfully, “Short, blonde, kinda pouty? Probably arguing with a tall, blond dead guy.”

Connor cocked his head to one side. “There might have been another dark haired dead guy behind them, he’s got crunchy hair and sulks a lot.”

The demon growled as Dawn picked up the conversation again, “Only the people you say you killed don’t sound anything like  _ my _ family. If they’d went to their painful deaths swearing revenge from the other side, then, yep, they would be mine, but the whole caving like a pack of cards and wimping out deal, not really them. Sorry.”

Carlos piped up from the floor, “There would have been an old British guy, cleaning his glasses and asking for a cup of tea.”

Connor nodded. “We have one of those too, except ours is younger and he bitches at the others a lot. Oh, speaking of bitches, my mother. Half demon, really cranky about stuff like dust and blood on the floor? Ring any bells?”

Kit couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips at the expression on Riley’s face and the sheer look of murderous rage on the demon’s. Dawn beamed happily at the two of them and cocked her hip as she studied the flood of color to Riley’s face. “Aww, what’s up, Ri? ‘Ickle Dawnie not falling for the big steaming pile of BS that you two want me to buy? You think I wouldn’t feel it if they had died? Get real.” She straightened up, “Now, cut the tormenting of the damned routine and cut to the chase. What’s all this about?” 

Riley shook his head as though trying to clear it and then all the bitterness and rage he had stored inside him for so long came flooding out. “I want you to hurt. I want you to feel just a fragment of the suffering and agony that I felt because of you and that bitch sister of yours. My wife left me after we came back to Sunnydale, said that wherever we went and whatever we experienced together would never be just us, there would always be Buffy looking over our shoulder.” Tears of self-pity rose in his eyes as he shouted, “I couldn’t blame her for that. I lived in the shadow of that dead bastard for months. I knew what it was never to feel that you were valued for who you really were, always a pale imitation of another man.”

Dawn said nothing, just watched as her sister’s former lover exploded apart at the seams. “I tried so hard to be what she wanted, what you all wanted, but it was never good enough. There was never any room for me when Angel’s ghost was still a part of everything.”

Connor turned to Dawn and raised an enquiring eyebrow. “He knows Dad is just living dead and not  _ actually  _ dead, right?” 

“Ummm. . .I  _ think _ so.”

They both turned back to watch Riley as he paced restlessly back and forth and then Dawn rolled her eyes. “Ok, as fascinating as this little trip to ‘Woe-is-me-ville’ is, can we get to the actual reason we’re all here?” She nodded at Buonce. “Your turn now.” 

The demon drew himself up proudly. “You are here to pay for the sin of destroying the raising of the Great and Terrible Ofethe, Destroyer of Light and Worlds, Bringer of Darkness and Fear, Savager of Lesser Beings.”

There was a short silence as Dawn and Connor digested the speech and then Dawn scowled thoughtfully. “Ofethe, did you say?” She eyed the massive demon doubtfully “Are you sure it was us? Only I think I’d remember someone with that many handles.” 

Connor nodded beside her and drawled, “And just for the record,  _ I’m _ the Destroyer, ok?” 

Dawn gave him a quick smile. “Of course you are, sweetie.” She poked her head around Buonce’s body and called over to Kit. “Does any of that sound familiar to you?” Kit shook her head; Dawn gave an exaggerated shrug and turned to Carlos, “Anything?” Carlos shook his head. Dawn gave an exasperated sigh and said sorrowfully, “I’m really sorry, but we just don’t have a clue who you’re talking about.” She stepped to the side and leaned casually against Connor’s shoulder as she continued, “You know how it is, you vanquish one Savager of Worlds, you vanquish them all.”

Connor nodded in agreement. “Uh-huh, you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve got back from slaying one vicious Harbinger of Doom only to have to turn right around and go out and do the exact same thing a couple of hours later. It’s hell on the axes, I know that much.”

“SILENCE!”

The two teenagers rocked back as foul breath and demon spittle flooded over them and Buonce joined Riley in competing for the ‘Most Unhinged Being’ in the room awards. “YOU KILLED MY MASTER’S FOLLOWERS AND YOU STOLE HIS SACRIFICES, YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES.” The demon’s eyes glowed a furious purple for a moment and then his voice lowered to a harsh whisper, “You killed the Master’s followers as they ran in splendid and divine array in the woods and then you slew the high priest as he was helpless and unarmed in your hands.”

Connor blinked. “That sounds familiar.” His brow furrowed as he thought furiously for a moment and then he made a triumphant noise in his throat. “First night at camp, right? The big angry thing with the swords and wailing humans.” He nudged Dawn encouragingly in the side. “You remember honey, we blew up the last couple of demons in that boat house thing.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Oh,  _ that’s _ what this is about? Jeez, you guys really need to get a life. Look, here’s how it works, you’re the bad guys, you do evil stuff and try to kill people and then the good guys. . .” She broke off and inclined her head towards Connor and her two friends on the ground, “That’s us, by the way, we come along and try and stop you. You guys always start it and if you lose a few demons along the way you’ve no one to blame but yourselves.” She squared off to the demon currently giving her issues and said flatly, “So where the hell do we come in? And what’s with the snatching of the parentals?”

Buonce snarled, “A foot soldier escaped from the slaughter and reported to me that the Key and its allies had destroyed the raising and annihilated his brethren. He died from his injuries before he could tell all he had seen but before he crossed to the other side he was able to give me one last hint. He spoke the word ‘Slayer’.” One long arm gestured towards Riley. “We stumbled across him by accident, he was whoring in a vampire den, desperate for the feel of each new dead mouth on his flesh. When his connection to the Slayer was established, we took him in and made him anew, feeding his hatred for the Slayer and her allies and thus creating a creature unique in his hatred and knowledge of the Chosen One. We knew if anyone could bring us the Key it would be Riley.”

Dawn gave a long slow nod. “Ok, that makes sense, but now you have me you don’t need anyone else. Where are they?”

Buonce’s lips curled back from his mouth in a terrible parody of a smile. He gestured to the wall Carlos was chained to and, quite suddenly, it was no longer there. Dawn gasped as she stared at the familiar faces of her family, and she barely registered Connor’s dash behind her as he realized he was still naked. She took a hurried step forward, only to be brought up short by Riley’s hand in her hair. 

Buonce watched as she was dragged back kicking and cursing and then he heaved a sigh of satisfaction “You are the Key, there is no doubt, but you do not have the power alone to punch through the walls and bring my Master forward.” Dawn gave a low moan as the demon moved forward to lay a hand on Anya’s head. “There is some powerful blood amongst this group. We shall require all of it.”

End Part 11.

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Beta:  **Syn**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Spoilers: Set  _ after  _ season seven, so maybe

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time. However, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

Dedications: Firstly to my brand spankin’ new beta, Syn. She came out of nowhere and committed herself without a thought or her own personal safety or sanity to the madness that is my fics. Thank you sooooo much for all your hard work babe. Next up is Mel (hands up who’s surprised?!), thanks for everything hun, I love you loads. Fernando, Queen C, Rakel, Kim, Rach, Ina, Jen and all the usual crew, thanks for the support and f/b.

**Part 12.**

  
  


Buffy's head came up as the wall before her disappeared, and then her mouth hung open in astonishment as she watched a huge ugly demon waltz forward and lay a hand on Anya and declare his intention of taking the Scoobs' blood. Behind the demon she saw her sister kicking and yelling in the grip of her ex-honey and, unless she was very much mistaken, Angel's son was crouched down beside Drusilla who was cradling Kit in her lap. And Connor was naked.  
  
Buffy didn't hesitate, she asked the question that was foremost in everyone's mind, "Dawn Summers, what the HELL have you been doing?" Dawn paused in her single-minded effort to get to her family and do Riley as much damage as humanly possible. She frowned, followed Buffy's pointed look at Connor and then abruptly shut her eyes, "Not what you think! I didn't look, I swear. I had my eyes shut the whole time. See?"   
  


Buffy raised an eyebrow at Connor. "And your story would be?"   
  


Connor flushed under the Slayer's frank look, "I didn’t do it, it was him!" He glared at Riley, who at last had the undivided attention of the Scoobs' that he had desired for so long. He shoved Dawn to her knees before him and drew back his shoulders proudly. "I bet I'm the last person you expected to see, right Buffy?"   
  


Cordelia cocked her head to one side, "Who's the hottie?"   
  


Angel growled deep in his chest at the frank appreciation in his lover's voice and then snorted with laughter as Spike said in amazement, "Hey, its Captain Cardboard! What the 'ell is he doin' 'ere?" He turned to Buffy, thankful he could at last see his   
love rather than just talk to her, and smirked, "Is this some kind of convention for ex-boinkers of the Slayer? If you wanted to remind yourself how lucky you are to 'ave got me, luv, we coulda just 'ad a bit of slap and tickle tonight after the nibblet was in   
bed."   
  


Buffy, ignoring the faint ' _ eww _ !' from Dawn, divided her most poisonous look between the two sniggering vampires and said sweetly, "Looks like I'm not the only one hooking up with an ex tonight, sweetie. Isn’t that your insane dark princess over there?"   
  


Angel and Spike stopped laughing abruptly and both craned their necks to see round the large body of Buonce to where Dru and Kit lay huddled on the floor. The two vampires groaned in unison and then exchanged grim looks, Spike, as usual, got right to the heart of the matter, "Oh  _ bollocks _ ."   
  


Buffy exchanged smirks with Willow, "Not so funny with the comments now, huh?" She shifted uncomfortably on the floor and looked back at Riley, "Ok, what's all   
this about?"   
  


Riley opened his mouth to respond but Dawn got there first, " He's only  _ completely  _ wrecked Sunnydale and hooked up with this huge demonic power thing to get   
back at you for ruining his life." She managed to get her feet under her and struggled to a standing position moving to stand in front of Carlos and edge him back to where Connor and the others were by the wall. She continued to talk as they slowly joined the rest of their gang, "He got dumped,  _ again _ , and then hooked up with tall, slimy, and unpleasant here and they want to bring that demon forth that Connor and I stopped last month at camp." She stopped as she felt Connor lean his head against the back of her leg, “He’s like  _ totally _ evil now."   
  


Buffy blinked, "Really?" Dawn nodded in emphatic affirmation.   
  


Spike drawled with a smirk, "Is anyone else finding him more interesting now, or is it just me?"   
  


Anya flexed her legs to ease her cramp and nodded, "Oh yes, there seems to be something much more fascinating about him now." She smiled at Riley in a friendly   
fashion, "You really should have considered something like this a few years ago, we would have found you so much more stimulating."   
  


Riley reeled back as though she'd slapped him and Carlos, who was the closest, took the opportunity to kick out at his legs, sending the former soldier stumbling. Giles frowned in condemnation, "Carlos! That was petty and mean spirited, I expect better of you." Carlos flushed under the stern English gaze and then exchanged a quick smug smile with Connor.   
  


Angel cleared his throat, "Ok, still not seeing why Connor’s naked. Again." All eyes swung to Connor as the dark haired vampire's tone chilled considerably, “Or what soldier boy has to do with that." The silence was deafening as everyone ran through the implications of Angel's statement in their minds and then a lot of wide eyes turned back to Riley.   
  


Spike grinned, "He really  _ has _ got more interesting, hasn’t he? Way to come out of the closet, mate."

Riley spluttered indignantly as Dawn laughed out loud and then flinched when cold fingers touched her wrists. She looked over her shoulder to see Kit, the only person in the room with their hands tied in front of them, tug at the chains binding her friend and pull gently at them. The Goth girl looked quickly around the room and saw that everyone’s attentions were for the moment focused on Riley, she met Dawn's eyes and mouthed, "Crouch down.” With a cautious look at their captors Dawn did so and then allowed Kit to guide her back until she was back to back with Drusilla. 

Dawn frowned in confusion and then jumped again as ice-cold fingers moved smoothly over her skin and onto the lock of her chains. She flinched as something sharp poked her harshly in the side of her hand and then concentrated on keeping as still as possible as she heard the scraping of metal against metal. Connor watched over Drusilla’s shoulder as the vampire frowned in concentration and worked diligently with two stiff metal hairgrips to manipulate the lock. Twice she slipped and drew blood when the intricacy of the task proved too much for her to perform with hands tied behind her back and no way of seeing what she was doing, then, suddenly, there came a tiny click and the manacles started to fall apart. Dawn hurriedly grabbed the iron and held it awkwardly in place and then turned to place a soft kiss on Drusilla's cheek before whispering, "Thanks Gran." 

Dru gave her a sweet smile and then nudged Kit with her knee to ease round so the vampire could shift and start work on Connor's chains. Willow had allowed her gaze to drift as the baiting of Riley had continued and she felt her mouth drop slightly open when she caught sight of Drusilla freeing Dawn and then turning her attention to Connor. She quickly skipped her gaze away but not before the soldier who had threatened Connor with the gun noticed her sudden surprise and began to turn to see what had caused it. Willow did the only thing she could under the circumstances. She threw back her head and WAILED, "Oh god, I don't wanna  _ die _ , I wanna live. Don’t let me die, oh god,  _ don't let me die _ !"   
  


Her companions in arms left off sniggering at Riley and turned to the red head in astonishment as she began to thrash and scream in her chains. Buffy's mouth fell open in horror as her best friend began to lose it and she whispered in excruciating embarrassment, "Willow! Chill out, for god's sake, have a little pride."   
  


Willow tried to catch Buffy's eye and convey that she was perfectly in control of herself despite outward appearances, unfortunately due to the nature of her chosen diversion, the sly winks and grimaces just made it look as though she was in the grip of a severe fit.   
  
Cordelia blinked in astonishment at her former love rival’s contortions and turned to Anya to say seriously, "You had Xander checked for rabies right? I used to have something similar when I first had the visions and now I'm thinking its not much of a   
coincidence."   
  


Anya shook her head and watched Willow's performance with avid interest, "Xander only foams at the mouth now in the grip of a powerful orgasm, and he almost never   
twitches like that unless I give him oral pleasure. He’s completely healthy."   
  


Cordelia leaned forward and eyed Xander, "He still does the foaming thing, huh?"   
  


Xander was torn between deep concern for Willow and begging for the first spot on the sacrificial altar at the turn the conversation had taken. He deliberately ignored the considering looks the two girls were giving him and turned to the person on his other side. Gunn. The tall black man stared back at him, "You  _ foam _ ?"    
  


Xander took a deep breath and gave the room in general a look of deep dignity; "I am  _ not _ going to discuss my sex life with you people."   
  


Spike snorted as he watched Willow writhe and scream on the floor, "Hello? We know about your sex life almost before you do, chubby, thanks to the little demon missus you got there."   
  


Fred popped her head up over Gunn's broad shoulder and nodded affably at Anya, "Charles whimpers, like this.” She tilted her head to one side, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh." 

Gunn's mouth fell open in outrage at his girl’s betrayal of their bedroom secrets and then he caught sight of Connor ease along the wall and reach for his pants with two hands that were very unbound. Gunn's eyes shot to the demon and Riley who were both staring at their hired solider trying to restrain Willow on the floor, his face flooded with understanding and he turned back to Fred and gave her an evil smile. "Fred likes to sit on top and pretend she's riding a bucking bronco." Fred gasped as he nudged her playfully and smirked, "Ride 'em cowgal!"   
  


Giles closed his eyes briefly and then snapped, "Will you all please  _ stop it _ !"    
  


Anya grinned at Fred, "When Giles is stimulated he likes to…"

  
" _ Anya _ !"   
  


Spike took his fascinated attention from Willow and swung his head round to stare in equal fascination atAnya, "What? What does he do?"   
  


Anya caught Giles' fierce glare and reluctantly decided that there were worse things in life than being stripped of your demonic powers and condemned to a mortal existence, and revealing Rupert Giles' carnal preferences to a captive audience was one of them.    
She gave a bright smile, "Nothing, nothing at all." Giles gave her another hard glare before returning his attention to Willow, Anya gave Spike a broad wink and   
mouthed, "I'll tell you later!"   
  


"THERE WILL BE NO LATER!! DESIST WITCH!"   
  


Their demon captor finally lost all patience and on the floor Willow froze obligingly, "Ok, I'm feeling much better now anyway." The soldier lying on top of her began to push himself off and Willow's knee rose smartly between his legs. The man collapsed back on top of her with a harsh expulsion of air and Willow beamed up at Riley, "See? All better."   
  


The ex-commando's eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion and he whirled to see Connor and Dawn huddled up against Drusilla, still securely bound, and looking exhausted. Both were shivering with cold and fear, and the boy's skin above the waistband of his pants was slowly turning blue. The two other humans were apparently passed out from fear, the girl lying on an unconscious Drusilla's legs and the boy curled in the fetal position on the floor, arms still caught tight behind him. He took a step towards the huddled group, slightly uneasy that something seemed off and Dawn flinched involuntarily, Riley smiled coldly, "You've finally realized who's in charge, Dawn?"   
  


Dawn stared up at the bitter man above her and cringed against Drusilla as his hand moved lightening fast towards her cheek. Spike and Buffy shouted with rage as their girl was hit so hard that her head bounced off the stone wall behind her and then she was dragged screaming with fear and pain to her feet. Connor tensed to spring at Riley as Dawn stumbled and was still dragged forcibly across the floor, scrambling to   
get her feet under her, but Drusilla took the chance of whispering under the furious bellows from the Scoobs and Angel's gang, "No dearie, not yet. The little bird needs to make her nest." Connor looked into Dru's slitted eyes and she blew him a small kiss, "Trust big sister, little one. We shall dance and sing at the party soon enough and Daddy and William will be so proud." Her head lolled to the side as Buonce's   
head turned their way and she pretended once more to be deeply unconscious.    
  


Dawn was aware of Buffy and Spike screaming her name as she was dragged unceremoniously past them, but her main issues were a) trying to keep the unlocked   
manacles about her wrists and stop them from falling to the floor and thus giving the game away and b) making a good show of being entirely helpless in Riley's grip without tipping him off that she was for the main hamming it up and concentrating on not letting him pull two many strands of hair from her head. She gave a whimper as she was thrown to the floor and then began to pitifully sob as she was pulled up on her knees and thrown face forward over a low stone altar.   
  


Riley's voice came from behind her, "Sounds like little sis likes it rough, Buff. Think we should let her die without getting laid at least once?"

Buffy screamed with horror and fury as Riley bent to her sister with a twisted smile on his face. Dawn’s eyes narrowed and her head came up as she threw herself to the side. She let go of the iron chain and manacles with one hand and with the other swung the heavy links round to smash into Riley's already broken nose and pop one eye in it's socket like an over ripe grape. 

Riley screamed long and loud as his hands scrabbled frantically at his face and Dawn flipped to her feet to spin and roundhouse kick him squarely in the head. She leaned down and snatched up a solid, silver axe that lay at the side of the altar, "The Key has to be pure, dipshit. Getting laid and general naughtiness is a big no-no."   
  


On the other side of the stone room, Connor paused in his efforts to decapitate the demon using just his own useless chains and brute strength, blinking worriedly, “It is?"   
  


Dawn kicked Riley one more time for good measure and then jumped over the altar to land in front of Cordelia, "Duck!" The former May queen obligingly scrunched down as Dawn swung the axe and sliced through the bolt on the wall with a satisfying clang   
and a shower of sparks. 

Cordy rolled stiffly to her feet and nodded to Dawn, "Thanks!" Her eyes took on an introspective look, “Potty break!" She shuffled past Dawn and then broke into a stiff run.   
  


Dawn grinned at Angel as she freed him, "She is  _ so _ weird."   
  


Angel sprang to his feet like a big cat and flexed his massive shoulders, "That's the way I like 'em." He ruffled her filthy hair as he moved past her to help Connor, "It runs in the family."   
  


Dawn moved along the people shackled against the wall, methodically swinging and hacking with her axe until she reached Willow, who was concentrating on ramming   
her knee repeatedly into the groin of the soldier sprawled sobbing with pain on top of her. Dawn flipped the axe up into the air, caught it handle first as it fell back down and rapped the soldier smartly on the back of the head. Willow pouted as Dawn pushed the man off her, "I was getting to that!"   
  


Dawn swung her axe, "My way was faster." She pulled Willow to her feet and gave her a quick kiss before moving along to Spike. She beamed down at him, "Hello Daddy." 

Spike jumped to his feet the minute he felt his chains give and pulled Dawn hard against him. She sank against him for just a minute, revelling in his hard, desperate hug and then she pushed gently away, "Gotta free the ugly sister."   
  


Buffy scowled, "Hey!" Then she was ducking and jumping to her feet as she was finally freed from her chains. She pulled Dawn to her and whispered, "Are you ok, honey?"

Dawn blinked back tired tears at the loving concern in her sister's voice and kissed the smaller woman’s cheek, "Please, you were worried about  _ me _ ? Ha!" She turned at the sudden scream from Kit and her eyes widened in horror as she saw Riley Finn rush towards them with his arm raised, a stake clasped in his hand and his ruined face creased in an expression of malevolent hatred as he focused his one good eye on   
Spike.    
  


Time seemed to slow for Dawn as she shoved Spike to the floor and turned to face Riley for the last time, his arm came down to slam into the space that Spike had occupied moments before and Dawn shuddered with the force of the blow. They stood frozen for a moment staring into each other's eyes and then Riley backed up, staring in shock at the wooden stake embedded in Dawn’s heart.   
  


Dawn looked at the piece of wood that had ruined her second best fightin' top and then met Spike's shocked and horrified eyes. She smiled at him and whispered,   
"Its ok, he missed your coat." Her eyes lost focus and she crumpled to the floor, Buffy began to scream as Spike threw himself with an agonized roar at Riley. 

Dawn blinked at the ceiling, once, twice, her mouth was dry and she tried to swallow but was unable to get her muscles to respond. Her head slipped to the side and then Dawn Summers died.   
  
  
End Part 12.   
  



	13. Chapter 13

Title:  **Here We Come To Save The Day!** (to be sung to the Mighty Mouse theme)

Author:  **Karen**

Pairings: D/C, A/C, S/B, A/X, F/Gu 

Rating: R (blame Spike)

Synopsis: sequel to ‘Camp Killalot’. A month after the events at Camp, Dawn and Connor are back home with their families. Although they talk on the phone regularly they haven’t seen each other in that time, however, when they arrive home from school one evening it’s to find that both The Batpack and the Scoobs have been abducted. The solution? Connor comes to Sunnydale and our favourite couple take on the case.

Distribution: Unnatural Brats, The Batpack, anyone else ask and ye shall be given.

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I am planning a rescue mission to liberate them from the evil Joss Whedon. Who’s with me?

  
  


Dedications: Syn, because she’s fabulous as a beta. Mel, because she’s fabulous as a friend and Rach, Rakel, Tanya, Queen C and Fernando ‘cos they rule on the f/b front. Hope this makes up for the nasty shock in the last part!

Warning: Character resurrection .

**Part 13.**

  
  
  


Connor turned his head at Buffy’s scream and frowned as he saw Riley and Dawn standing frozen together. The soldier staggered back and then Connor saw the stake impaling his beloved’s heart. He saw her lips move but over the sudden roar in his ears he had no idea what she was saying. He pushed away from his perch on Buonce’s shoulders and threw himself into mid-air but the air in the room suddenly had the consistency of syrup, and he could only watch in appalled horror as Dawn’s eyes lost focus and she crumpled to the floor. As his feet touched the floor he was aware of Spike springing towards Riley, his face twisted with hate and loss and then he was scrambling on all fours towards the body of his girlfriend on the floor.

Buffy had fallen to her knees beside her sister and was frantically trying to pull the stake out of Dawn’s chest and stop the terrible bleeding all at the same time. She screamed for Giles and Spike as the stake came out with a faint pop and then a fountain of black heart blood splashed across her face. Connor finally reached Dawn’s side and threw himself across her body, “Dawn! Dawn, please no,  _ Dawn _ .” He stared wildly between the gaping wound in her chest and her still face, desperate for any sign of a response. His hands pushed against the wound and he lifted his head to bellow, “DAD!”

Angel’s head snapped round at the shout of terror from his son and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw Buffy and Connor crouched over Dawn’s body. His eyes flashed gold as he yelled, “Gunn, Fred, take over.” He ducked a wild swing by the savage demon and sprinted to Connor’s side. “Let me see.” He shoved Connor aside and bent to Dawn to do something,  _ anything _ that would help the young girl on the floor. 

Connor grabbed Angel’s arm, “Please, save her. Do something, please. I can’t lose her.”

Angel swallowed at the tone of desperation in his son’s voice and then gently placed his hand over Dawn’s eyes to draw them closed. He looked up at Buffy who was staring at her sister’s face as Giles rocked her in his arms. Her face was streaked with silent tears, but she showed no signs of being aware of his presence. He turned to look at Connor whose face bleached of colour and backed away from the look on his father’s face. “Connor, I’m so sorry. She’s gone.”

Connor’s eyes went blank with shock and he began to tremble violently, “No, that’s not true, you can save her. Save her please, don’t let her go.”

Angel reached for his son, “There’s nothing I can do, I’m sorry.”

Connor swung out violently and spat, “No, you just  _ won’t _ do anything. Turn her, we can save her. Please, turn her.”

His voice broke on a sob and huge, fat tears began to streak down his face. Angel swallowed again and said gently, “There’s nothing there to turn, son. She’s gone.”

Connor’s head began to shake back and forth in denial and he drew his knees up to his chest as his body shook with sobs. Angel edged forward and then slowly slipped one arm, then two around the heartbroken boy. Connor held himself stiffly for a few minutes more and then slowly collapsed against his father’s chest. Angel pulled him closer and slowly eased his face round until he could no longer see the body on the floor.

On the opposite side of the room Drusilla nudged a sobbing Kit and Carlos, “Free me, quickly.”

Kit turned a tear drenched face to the vampire, “What?”

Drusilla rattled her wrists, which had remained chained to the wall throughout everything, “Free me.  _ Hurry _ .”

Kit stared down at the pale face and then around the room at the shocked and sobbing people around them. Gunn and Fred were hacking madly at the now very dead demon on the floor, whilst Spike had literally ripped Riley apart with his bare hands and now tore pieces of muscle and bone asunder, sobbing with indescribable pain as he destroyed. Xander stood with Willow and Anya pressed to his chest, his eyes closed as tears leaked out from under the lids. Kit turned back to Drusilla, “Its over. Dawn’s dead.” She began to gasp with pain and her chest heaved as wild sobs fought their way out. 

Drusilla shook her head, “No, little bird has just begun to fly. I can guide her home before the nasty cats get her, such pretty feathers would be wasted in the ground.”

Carlos stared for a moment and then whirled to look for something to help him free the vampire. His eyes caught sight of the third soldier’s abandoned gun on the floor and he lunged for it then span back to point the muzzle at bolt behind Dru’s head. She ducked out of the way and Carlos fired with an almighty bang. The rest of the gang jumped with shock and then Drusilla was pushing past the two teenagers to get to Dawn.

Buffy watched with blank eyes as Dru reached out for her sister and then abruptly flung herself forward, “NO! Don’t touch her, leave her alone!” The two women crashed to the floor under the momentum of Buffy’s leap and Drusilla was pinned under the grieving Slayer. She ducked a wild punch and then flipped the small blonde to lie underneath her on the floor.

“I can help you.” Drusilla’s whisper made Buffy’s eyes widen and then before she could react Dru had brought her fist down and smashed it into her temple. Buffy lost consciousness as Drusilla jumped up and looked at Angel, “Keep her asleep, Daddy. I have to go to the dark places to get my little bird, and the Slayer would keep me in the light.” 

Angel nodded and his eyes flickered past Dru, “Gunn, Xander, hold Spike down.”

Drusilla turned to look at Spike as he knelt in the remains of Riley Finn and stared uncomprehendingly between Buffy and Drusilla. As the two human men came up behind him she gave him a sweet smile, “Sweet William, I can make your little birds whole.”

Spike’s face flickered for a moment and then twisted with rage as he realised that Drusilla had hurt his mate. He snarled, but before he could spring for her throat, Xander and Gunn were upon him and bearing him to the ground. Fred, Anya and Willow ran forward to help and then Cordelia’s voice was heard, “What the hell happened?”

She stared at Drusilla for a moment and frowned, “And who let undead walking loose?”

Dru smiled, “Seer.”

Cordy cocked her head to one side, “What of it?”

Her face flooded with horror as Drusilla stepped to one side and she saw Dawn lying on the floor and Connor in Angel’s arms behind him. Drusilla held out a small, white hand, “Will you help me find our lost bird?”

Cordelia side-stepped the thrashing pile of bodies on the floor as Spike tried to fight his way free, and walked briskly to Dru’s side, “What do you need?” She followed the vampire to Dawn’s body and knelt down while Drusilla knelt on the opposite side to face her.

“We need blood.” Dru dragged a long fingernail over her palm and opened a deep gash, then switched hands and did the same to the opposite palm. Cordelia held out her hand expressionlessly and kept her eyes level on Drusilla as the same thing was done to her. Dru nodded and then reached down to Dawn’s chest and hooked her fingers into the wound. Cordelia realised an instant before what she was intending to do, but her protesting cry was given no heed. With a horrible tearing sound, Dawn’s chest was ripped apart until her ruined heart lay before their eyes.

Drusilla snatched at one of Cordelia’s hands and placed it in the gaping chest and then put one of her own hands in, so the two girls held the still muscle in their hands. She raised her other hand and stared into Cordelia’s horrified eyes, “We need to be linked.”

Cordy nodded, she raised her own hand and then looked into Angel’s eyes and then at the head of their son. Her chin set with determination, “I’m not coming back without her.” She turned her head and met Dru’s gaze, her hand swung forward and their palms met with a loud smack. For a moment nothing happened and then a violent green light leapt from Dawn’s chest, split into two speeding tails and slammed into the seer and the vampire. Both women’s heads were thrown back and their mouths opened to spit the green fire towards the ceiling. Angel bent over Connor’s body protectively and turned his face away from the light, he hugged the boy to him and began to pray to all the gods he knew that owed him a favour.

****************************** 

  
  


Cordelia stared around her and gave a fair imitation of Angel growling, “What the hell am I doing back here?”

Drusilla glanced at the beautiful colours and swirling mists that surrounded them, “You know where we are?”

Cordelia flicked a swirl of pink light that wafted under her nose and glared at the vampire, “Yep, this is a higher realm, and  _ you _ shouldn’t even know it exists much less be able to get in. What gives?”

Drsuilla shook her head, “We can only see to follow the bird’s trail, not choose another path. I’m meant to be here, dearie, otherwise we could not find my grandchilde.”

Cordelia looked around her again, “If there is anything to find. What makes you think she’s here?” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, “And how did you know there was anything to save?”

Drusilla pointed to a slip of green that wound skilfully and quickly through the pulsating mass of a blue and white nebula, “Only the soul was released not the power. The little bird can be found and anchored to her lost half once more.”

Cordelia followed Dru’s pointing finger and understanding lit her eyes, “Dawn still has some of the Key in her?”

For the first time Drusilla looked annoyed, “No! She is still the Key itself. She has suppressed all in her that is not human and so there is nothing there that remembers being more than that.” 

Cordelia nodded, “Uh-huh. And what are we going to do about that?”

Drusilla looked at the trail of green once more, “Remind her.”

*****************************

Dawn looked thoughtfully around her, “Oh-kaay. This is new.” She whirled as she heard something behind her and punched the large, onyx demon squarely between the eyes, “Back off.”

“Ow!”

Skip held his clawed hand up to his face, cradled his face and said reproachfully, “What did you do that for?”

Dawn’s eyes narrowed as she raised her arms in a defensive gesture, “Generally when big, ugly demons sneak up behind me they aren’t looking to give me a hug and make friends.”

“There’s no need to get personal!”

Dawn adjusted her balance and scowled angrily, “Yeah? From where I stand there’s a whole lot of need. What the hell is going on?”

Skip took his hand from his face and mentally readjusted his cloak of dignity, “You’re dead.” He sighed, “I would have led up to it but you’ve got kind of an attitude problem there that tells me the softly softly approach isn’t really gonna cut it with you.”

Dawn began to scoff and then her eyes clouded with a vague memory. Skip watched with interest as a range of emotions flitted across her face before she decided on mightily pissed off. “The son of a bitch, he  _ killed  _ me!” The demon backed up slightly as Dawn lowered her hands quickly and stepped towards him, “You send me back, right now! I am  _ so _ gonna kick his ass for this.”

Skip winced as he remembered the quick look he had taken at Dawn’s family before coming to meet her, “That’s no longer an issue, he no longer has an ass to kick.”

_ Or a head, or a body…… or a spleen _ .

He brightened slightly, “There may be an arm that’s kind of in one piece.”

Dawn glared at him for a moment and then flashed a quick grin, “Spike, right?” Skip nodded and Dawn giggled lightly, “Bet he was way annoyed.” The smile fell off her face abruptly, “Oh god, they think I’m dead. Buffy, Connor, everyone thinks I’m dead! How do I get back?”

Skip winced at the anguish in her eyes and said gently, “You can’t. That’s what being dead means.”

Dawn’s eyes filled with tears and she whispered, “ _ No _ .” She stared wildly around her at the calm woodland glade she found herself in and then looked back at Skip, “There has to be a way. I’m here and I know who I am, that’s not  _ dead _ .”

The demon grimaced with sympathy, “I’m afraid it is. I’m here to lead you to your reward.” He took a step towards Dawn and then two hasty ones back as her eyes narrowed in warning.

“You move another inch and there’s gonna be one more dead person standing here.”

Skip sighed irritably, “What is it with you Sunnydale gals? You just never know when to quit. You’re dead, as in no longer of the living. Now follow me and lets go get you settled in your nice new realm.”

Dawn lifted her chin, “Where I come from being dead is not mutually exclusive to being of the living.” She glanced around her again, “There’s a way home and I’m going to find it, and if you try and stop me I’ll hang you from the nearest tree by your chin ring. Get me?”

Skip winced, “Nice image, but it doesn’t change the fact that being less than alive and having no body to speak of to go back to is gonna cramp your style somewhat. Now be a good girl and come with me.”

He made to take a step towards her again and then staggered sideways as a fist came out of nowhere and socked him in the eye. “I don’t  _ think  _ so!” Cordelia swung round to Dawn, massaging her fist, “You ok, sweetie?”

Dawn’s mouth fell open in shock and then she launched herself at Connor’s mother. Cordelia’s arms closed about her like a steel trap and she eyed Skip over Dawn’s shoulder. The demon straightened up with a hand cupped to his face and his face fell, “Oh no, not you again.”

Cordelia glared at him, “You are getting to be a real pain in the ass.”

“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you.”

He squared his shoulders, “Look, Cordelia, this is none of your business. The kid’s dead and we have places to be. Hand her over.”

Drusilla stepped in front of Cordelia and Dawn, her eyes glowing fiercely and snarling in full vampiric fury. Skip’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a few moments before he spluttered, “You brought a demon to this place?”

Cordelia snorted, “Hello? Have you  _ looked  _ in the mirror recently?” She moved Dawn to one side and slung a companionable arm around her neck before saying coolly, “More to the point have you looked at me? Also of the demonic persuasion here.”

Drusilla looked Skip dead in the eye and growled a single word, “ _ Mine _ .”

The much larger demon backed off slightly and then rounded on an unimpressed Cordelia, “Have you any idea what an affront it is to the Powers to bring this thing here? She was marked to be one of our most powerful warriors in the fight and then she gave herself to the darkness and created centuries of suffering and chaos.”

Cordelia grinned delightedly, “You’ve heard of her? Great, that’ll make this  _ so  _ much easier.” The smile fell off her face and her tone chilled until you could cool meat with it, “We’re taking Dawn out of here and back home. You try and stop us and little miss pale and crazy, will rip your face off and use it as a napkin after she sucks you dry. Understood?”

Drusilla bounced eagerly on her toes, “Oh yummy! Cakes and treats for all.”

Dawn winced, “I’ll pass.”

Skip threw his hands up, “You still don’t get it do you? She can’t leave. Dead. Not breathing. No longer with the pulse. Roadkill. She’s  _ dead _ , you don’t get to keep her.”

Dawn trembled against Cordelia, “What if he’s right?” She turned her head to look into Cordelia’s eyes, “Cordy, this will kill Buffy. And Spike. Oh god, I died to save him, he’ll never get over this, the guilt will destroy him.” She swallowed the tears clogging her throat, “And Connor, I don’t want to leave Connor.” The tears started to leak from her eyes, “Cordelia, I don’t think I can get back.”

Cordelia sniffed, “Horseshit. You’re a Scoob and we don’t ever say die, much less do it.” She swung a gimlet eye towards Skip, “Dru, if he so much as twitches, kill him.”

The vampire nodded eagerly and licked her lips in exaggerated anticipation.

Cordelia took pulled Dawn round to face her and took a firm grip of her shoulders, “Dawn, listen to me. The reason we were able to find you is that you left a trail. Look.” She nodded over Dawn’s shoulder and the younger girl stared behind her at a faint green line stretching away into the trees. She turned back to Cordelia with wide eyes as the older woman said firmly, “You’re the Key. A living breathing bundle of kick ass mystical energy and there is nothing that you don’t have the power for, do you get me?”

Dawn shook her head, “No. I’m human. I stopped being the key when we lost Buffy.”

Cordelia gave a quick, hard shake, “No, you didn’t. You’ve buried the power so deep that its been crushed beneath the weight of your humanity.  _ Think _ about it. You fight demons and destroy vampires and no matter how many times you get knocked down, you always come up swinging.” She took a breath, “You keep up with Connor effortlessly and don’t even break into a sweat. He’s as supernatural and otherworldly as they come but you match him punch for punch. You don’t think that’s odd  _ at all _ ?”

Dawn ran a nervous tongue over her lips, “I…I’m the Slayer’s sister…….”

“That’s not how it works and you know it. Joyce was Buffy’s mom, how many times did we witness her hacking two demons to death at the same time and then dusting a nest of vamps? Oh I know, NEVER!” Cordy gave the trembling girl a gentle, understanding smile, “You have your own power and the sooner you stop fighting against it and open yourself up to it, the sooner we can all go home.”

“NO!” Skip leapt forward and then was sent flying backwards into a tree as Drusilla backhanded him away with a snarl. He rolled to his feet, “The Key cannot be allowed to exist in the world. The power must be contained and kept where it can do no more harm.”

Drusilla crouched and prepared to spring, “My little bird wants to fly, be a good kitty and let her alone.” Her head began to sway from side to side, “I can smell the wind as it ruffles her feathers and it’s so sweet, the nasty kitty is making my bird tumble.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes, “Drusilla, linear really is the  _ only _ way to go.” Her eyes narrowed suddenly, “Dawn, get behind me.” A breeze picked up and then quickly turned into a gale, “Hey, vampirella, heads up. We’ve got company.”

Dawn stared wildly around and then jumped as a tall man strode out from the trees. She gasped as she saw his eyes were pure white and flashed with the light of the a thousand stars in the dim light allowed by the trees. Cordelia ran her eyes up and down the impressive figure before her, “Well, you’re a definite improvement. Higher Being, right?”

The figure shook its head, “ **We are more** .”

Cordy actually looked faintly impressed, “You’re a Power? Cool.” She lashed out and smacked the man’s hand away as he reached for Dawn, “Hey, hands off the mystical key, buddy.” She looked slightly worried when the man didn’t even deign to notice her resistance but kept moving slowly forward. Taking a firm grip on Dawn’s hand she backed away from the relentless being before her.

“ **We will have the key. It must be contained** .”

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, “Sing me a new tune. That one is  _ so _ last year.”

“ **The key must be contained. Its power is too great. The balance could be destroyed.** ”

“Uh-huh, and I get that. I do really, but the operative word here is ‘could’ not ‘will’.”

She shoved Dawn behind a tree and skipped out the other side to race for the other side of the clearing. The man turned slowly and began to march relentlessly after them. Skip darted forward to join his master and then went sprawling as Drusilla’s foot shot out and tripped him up. The vampire tucked her foot demurely back under her dress and brushed innocently at the skirt before walking forward and stepping on Skip’s head just as he raised it from the ground. She ground her weight on the back of his head for a moment before stepping off, “Oops!” 

Cordelia still had Dawn firmly behind her as she backed up and thought furiously for any options. She felt the girl tremble with reaction and fear behind her and then suddenly Cordy stopped dead and turned thoughtful eyes on the man approaching her. Her face brightened suddenly and a slow, triumphant grin lit up her face, “You can’t take her.”

“ **The key must be contained. Its power is……** ”

“Shut. Up.” Cordelia stomped forward and poked her finger sharply in the man’s chest and glared up into the glowing eyes, “You can’t take her. That’s why Skip’s here. He had to get her to go with him of her own free will.”

“ **You are wrong** .”

Cordelia laughed, “Wrong my higher being ass. You can’t take her because she has more power than you.”

“ **No** .”

The finger poked sharply into the man’s chest again, “Liar. You’re a Power, an ultimate force so you go get her, pal. Go on, I dare you.” Cordelia stepped aside and gestured expansively at Dawn, “Go, I won’t stop you.”

Dawn’s eyes widened and she stared between Cordelia and the Power in horror, then she caught it, the slightest flicker of uncertainty in the being’s eyes. Her mouth opened in wonder, “She’s right. You can’t make me go.”

“ **The key must be…….** ”

Cordelia turned her back on the slightly unsettled being, “Yeah, yeah.” Her entire face glowed as she gave a megawatt smile, “Ok, lets go.”

Dawn returned the smile and then screeched in horror as the man’s arm came up over Cordelia's shoulder and flexed to come around her throat, she began to run forward and then Drusilla appeared with a snarl to lock herself on the Power’s back and sink sharp fangs into the unprotected neck. Cordelia whirled round and assessed the situation in an instant, “Dru! Drusilla, get off him!” She batted the vampire sharply around the side of the head and then grabbed a fistful of long dark hair and forced the fangs out from the skin, “Enough! We’ve won, go get Dawn.”

Dru snarled fiercely, Cordelia raised an eyebrow, “Don’t make me hurt you, fangster.” The two women eyed each other for a moment before Dru slipped down the man’s back and set her feet on the ground. Cordelia gave the decidedly rattled Power a soft push to send him stumbling back into Skip’s horrified arms. The demon caught his boss and then went to the ground flat on his ass under the weight of the being. Cordy folded her arms and said scathingly, “You know, for all your universal smarts, you’d think you people would be a bit more clued up about the habits of vamps.  _ Never  _ attack a sire’s mate in front of its childe, that way lies pain and munchiness like you would not believe.” She flicked her hair casually back from her face and said coolly, “Now me, the vamp and the key are leaving, and if anyone tries to stop us…….we’ll let Drusilla have seconds.”

Skip spluttered with horror for a second before he managed, “You don’t know what you’re doing. If the Key wills it she could destroy everything. EVERYTHING. No more worlds, no more people, no more  _ Powers _ . She doesn’t just unlock the dimensions, she can move them or create them or seal them forever. She has to be contained.”

Cordelia stared at Dawn, “ _ Cool _ .” Then she looked back at Skip, “And thanks for the info. Ok, new threat. You try and stop us and I’ll get my little uber power here to create a dimension just for you and bright eyes, and then I’ll get her to throw it so far out into the dimensional universe that you’ll still be moving a millennia from now, ‘k?” Without another word she walked to Dawn’s side and took the Key in one hand and Drusilla in the other, “Ok, ladies, home.”

As they walked away Dawn glanced back over her shoulder and caught sight of Skip still sitting on the floor, cradling the fallen Power and gaping like a landed fish, “Uh, Cordy? I don’t actually know how to do that.”

Cordelia’s expression didn’t change, “Walk faster.”

************************************

Back in the stone basement hope was fading fast. Drusilla and Cordelia had been held in the green fire for over two hours and there had been no indication that they had made any progress in restoring Dawn. Angel still cradled Connor in his arms as the boy stared blankly at the floor, whilst Giles held Buffy and Spike as they rocked together in their grief on the blood drenched floor.

Anya, Xander, Willow, Fred and Gunn had gone out into the house and taken care of the last of Buonce’s followers and now they sat in exhausted, grief stricken silence waiting for the end of the long night. Kit and Carlos had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, worn out by desperate grief and helpless sobbing.

Angel kept his eyes on the three girls before him and fought against dwindling hope with every minute that passed. His biggest fear was that Cordelia would disappear into the unknown once again, and leave him to deal with his broken son alone. He knew his mate well enough that if there was any chance at all Dawn could be found, then Cordelia wouldn’t come back without her. Which meant that Cordelia wouldn’t be back as she wasn’t altogether on board with the whole despairing of all hope thing.

He frowned as a low hum sounded just at the cusp of his hearing and looked around him for the source of the noise. Nothing. He shook his head slightly but the noise persisted and then his eyes widened as the green light around the girls began to pulsate in time with the humming. “Uh, guys…..”

The explosion of light and noise rocked the basement and knocked everyone flat on their asses. Angel shoved Connor under him and bent his head to the floor as Drusilla flew backwards and crashed into the wall behind him. Narrowing his eyes he stared into the fierce glare and yelled with surprise as Dawn’s body arced on the floor and her eyes flew open. White and green light flashed over her body and then she opened her mouth and  _ screamed _ . Her body writhed and her fingers scrabbled for purchase on the floor as the wound in her chest knitted slowly together, there was a low thump and then Angel swore he heard her heart start to beat again. Dawn relaxed against the floor and the light slowly faded until she was just lying on the floor, taking huge shuddering breaths.

Buffy pushed up from the floor and stared as her sister sat up shakily and pressed a hand to her tattered shirt, “That  _ hurt _ .”

“Dawn?”

Dawn turned her head and grinned at her white-faced sister, “That would be me.”

Buffy tried to stand up but her legs collapsed under her, she settled for crawling on all fours across the floor and the remains of Riley to snatch disbelievingly at Dawn, “Dawn? Oh god, Dawn. You came back.” She sobbed and pulled her sister into her arms and ran her hands over her sister’s hair and back, gently at first and then with more force until she was literally grabbing at the proof her sister was alive and whole. 

Dawn cradled Buffy to her, holding her as the Slayer went completely and utterly to pieces. She looked over Buffy’s shoulder and grinned at Spike, “Hey Pop, I’m home.”

Spike’s face was a perfect blank as he returned her stare, only a muscle twitched in his jaw as he remained frozen on the floor. Dawn reached out one hand towards him, “Spike? I’m ok.” Her eyes flickered uncertainly, “Aren’t you happy?”

He stood slowly and walked over to stare uncomprehendingly down at her, then he sniffed the air. Emotion flickered over his face briefly before he sank to his knees and touched a light finger to her forehead to scrape some blood onto his nail. Without taking his eyes of her face he raised the finger to his lips and darted his tongue out to take a taste. Dawn raised her hand and placed it gently against his cheek, “Its me. I’m alive.” Before her eyes the life rushed back into his eyes and fierce and exultant joy filled his face. 

“’Bit?”

Dawn ‘s eyes filled with tears to match the ones streaming down Spike’s face, “In the flesh.” She yipped with surprise as his arms shot out and tugged both herself and Buffy to his chest. He held them both for a moment and then began to heave disbelieving dry sobs as two pairs of arms wrapped firmly around him and then they slowly toppled to the floor to lie in a tangle of emotion and deep, abiding relief.

Angel sat slowly up and tugged Connor into a sitting position. He turned the boy towards the three people of the floor and with a voice breaking with emotion said, “She’s ok. Your mother did it. She brought her back.” Connor followed the line of Angel’s finger and frowned slightly, Angel shook him firmly, “Snap out of it. Dawn’s back, she’s not dead.” He jumped to his feet and dragged Connor to his, “She’s alive Connor, look.”

Connor stumbled in his father’s wake and then found himself looking down into a very familiar, and very much alive, face. Dawn winked at him, “Surprise!” 

Connor fell to his knees and gasped as she snagged his hand and kissed the palm noisily, “I would give you a proper kiss but I don’t think Spike and Buffy have plans to let me up for a while, so you’ll just have to wait.”

The Destroyer touched her eyelids lightly and said wonderingly, “Your eyes, they’re different.”

Dawn blinked at him and then her eyes crossed as she tried to see what had happened. After several frantic seconds of staring at the end of her nose she asked worriedly, “They’re not all white and shiny are they? That would  _ not  _ be good.”

Connor frowned in confusion and then shook his head, “No, they’ve gone green. No blue, anywhere.”

Dawn bit her lip and then shrugged awkwardly against the floor under the combined weight of Spike and Buffy, “Oh well, I was dead a couple of minutes ago, what do I care if I got the colour of my eyes wrong when I came back?” She swallowed as Connor’s eyes filled with tears and batted impatiently at Spike and Buffy, “Ok, enough of the panicked relief, we’re wasting good smoochie time here!” She wriggled determinedly under the frantic clutches of her parents and somehow made it to her knees. With a soft sigh she leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on Connor’s lips. “I love you.”

Connor closed his eyes and shivered at the longing and passion in her voice, his arms came up to encircle her gently as he returned her kiss, then they tightened to drag her against him as he released all his fear, love and relief in a frantic savaging of her mouth. Dawn moaned as her breasts were crushed against his naked chest and then she was kissing him back with the same passionate fury. Connor pulled his mouth away from hers and sucked in a lungful of air before burying his face in her hair, “I thought I’d lost you.”

Dawn shuddered as she thought of how close they came and then her arms wrapped around his neck, as she whispered, “Never.”

Angel looked up with tears in his eyes as Cordelia staggered up and gave him a weak smile, “Hi honey.” 

He caught her as her knees gave out, one sniff had his eyes glazing with panic and he swung her up into his arms, “You’re hurt!”

Cordelia laid her head on his shoulder and sighed with satisfaction as she looked down at Dawn and Connor, “Just a little cut. Being thrown headfirst into solid brick will do that to you.” She smiled up at her vampire, “I did good, huh?”

She turned her head as a hand touched her lightly on her arm and found herself looking into the exhausted eyes of Buffy Summers. The Slayer swallowed, “Cordelia….I…you…” She closed her eyes for a moment and took a moment to pull herself together. Several deep breaths and aborted questions later she opened her eyes, “What  _ happened _ ?”

Cordelia grinned happily, “Oh we went, we saw….” Drusilla eased past the rest of the gang as they moved in on Dawn on the floor and paused at the door to smile back into Cordelia’s eyes. The seer lifted one hand in farewell as the vampire slipped out into the night, “We snacked on a Power That Be. The usual.” She leaned her head back on Angel’s shoulder with a groan, “Can we discuss this later over some aspirin and pizza? I’m beat.”

Giles walked up to place a bracing arm around Buffy and the still shaken Spike, “Excellent idea. I believe if I never see this place again, it will be too soon.” He turned to Kit and Carlos who were beaming with happiness as they stood next to Dawn cradled in Connor’s arms. “I believe you children brought transport with you?”

Carlos nodded, “Your van’s outside.” He stumbled slightly as Xander poked him sharply in the back and then mumbled, “G-man.”

Giles’s eyes narrowed at Xander as he sniggered delightedly behind his hand and then he sighed, “Very well, lets make a move.”

Buffy and Spike took up position on either side of Connor as he made his way carefully to the door, neither willing to give up complete physical contact with Dawn just yet.

Gunn slung his arm round Fred’s shoulders and followed in their wake, then he frowned thoughtfully, “Hey Connor, how did you get down here anyway? Did you bring your Dad’s car?”

Connor and Dawn exchanged glances with each other and then Kit whispered, “Uh-oh.”

Angel frowned, “Why uh-oh? Has something happened to my car? What’s happened to my car?”

Connor flushed guiltily and turned round to meet his father’s eyes. His eyes shifted uneasily to Gunn’s face and then back to Angel’s. “I get extra grace points because my girlfriend died, right?”

  
  
  


**The End** .

‘Freakazoid High’ the sequel to ‘Here We Come…” is coming soon to a list near you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the writings of [ MsGordo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kipplemine/profile), posted here with the author's express permission in order to preserve them from Yahoo Groups. If I have missed any tags or warnings, please feel free to let me know.


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